This past year has been incredibly challenging for the entire world amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including American Career College-Los Angeles student Marianna Acevedo. Already a student in the weekend vocational nursing program, Marianna opted to go full-time to complete her degree faster and start working in the healthcare field.
“Once the pandemic hit and took one of my loved ones, it lit my fire and made me want to help people now,” Marianna shared. “The hardest part has been seeing people suffer and seeing family members experience a loss, but I want to be that provider to be a shoulder to cry on and to help families grieve.”
Marianna lost her mother-in-law to COVID-19 and has seen countless friends and family members experience the heartache alongside her.
“I’ve seen the difference a good healthcare provider can make in the life of a family member and that really inspired me to become a nurse,” she said.
Marianna’s mother also suffers from a chronic pain condition so she has first-hand experience with caregivers.
“I see my mom’s nurses be so attentive to her and how they help our family understand the condition has been very important to me and motivated me to be a caregiver,” she said.
Marianna was originally in an aerospace engineering program at a local college and had an internship with NASA but decided it wasn’t for her during the program. Now she is on track to complete her vocational nursing coursework at ACC in October 2021, despite the challenges of completing classes online when she prefers working hands-on.
“You know the saying ‘Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life? That’s how I feel about nursing,” Marianna shared. “The human body is magical, so complicated, and the way that everything is interconnected is what amazed and challenged me to go into healthcare.”
Marianna is also happy gaining experience as she works towards completing her degree, by helping out at local coronavirus testing sites.
“ACC has been great getting us out here and getting us experience and we are out here helping patients get COVID tested and making a difference,” she said. “The pandemic has shined a light on healthcare — that we are one big system and have to work together to get through this.”
