"Big Kid" Shares Life With Foster Teens and College Students

Mai Williams with her family. (Clockwise from front left  - Isaiah, ChaQuana, Mai, Deonte and Markeisha. Photo by Chris Sloan

Mai Williams with her family (Front row, ChaQuana, Markeisha, Isaiah; Back row, Deonte and Mai). Photo by Chris Sloan

(VICTORVILLE, Calif.) “I’m just a big kid,” says Mai Williams of Victorville.

But Williams, 36, is a big kid with a big heart. She is not only the mother of three young people, she has also opened her home to other children as a foster mom, including one teen-age girl for whom she has already become the legal guardian.

She does all this while working full-time as an admissions representative for Four-D College in Victorville, and while pursuing a Master’s degree in human services at Chapman University, which has a branch campus in Victorville.

While raising her own children (Deonte, 20; ChaQuana, 16 and Isaiah, 13) Williams had always wanted to extend her love to foster children that she might eventually adopt. But her ex-husband had reservations.

Her children knew of that dream and ChaQuana was especially supportive. In 2006, a few months after her parents divorced, ChaQuana told her friend Markeisha Clark, now 15, what her mother wanted to do.

“I told ChaQuana ‘I’m in foster care. Why doesn’t your mother adopt me?” Markeisha said.

Markeisha wasn’t happy in the foster family she then lived with, so she gave ChaQuana a business card for New Beginnings Foster Family Agency, which is the agency that had placed her with her former family. ChaQuana gave the card to her mother, and asked that Williams seriously consider contacting the agency to see what would be required to bring Markeisha into their home.

“Although I had always wanted to have foster children, this is how I got started,” Williams said. “That card for Markeisha gave me the motivation.”

After New Beginnings conducted a home study and Williams attended their foster parent training sessions, Markeisha came to live with them. She was Williams’ foster child the first year; then Williams obtained guardianship.

Guardianship is similar to adoption, in that Markeisha officially became part of the family and Williams now has all the rights and responsibilities for Markeisha as she does for her minor children. But Markeisha is maintaining the name she was given at birth.

After Markeisha, Williams welcomed other foster children into her home, including a pregnant teenager now living on her own with her baby.

“She was a sweetheart, “ Williams said of her second foster daughter. “She reminded me of myself at that age, as I too was pregnant as a teenager.”

Her foster family currently includes two 17-year-old boys who will either be returned to their real mothers’ custody before their next birthdays, or who will live with Williams in the San Bernardino County foster care system until they complete a college education.

While most of the relationships Williams has had with her foster children are temporary, she is grateful to have had the chance to show them her idea of what a loving parent should be.

“I’m not a saint, but I know how to have fun. I give them love, because that’s what they need,” Williams said. “There has to be disciplinary guidelines that I enforce, but I let them be free to be who they are.”

“As long as they do what they are asked in the way of chores and proper behavior, they will not have a problem living here,” she said. “They will have a lot of fun here.”

Her sons, while not as supportive as ChaQuana initially, agree now that having foster siblings is the best thing for their family.

“We always felt like someone was missing from our family before,” Isaiah said. “Now, we feel our family is complete.”

Williams’ commitment to helping young people become the best person possible also helps at Four-D College, where most of the students are young adults looking to education as their key to a better future.

“I love being in a position to help them better their lives,” she said.  “I also love seeing when they finish their education at Four-D College Their lives change with new beginnings.”

Some Four-D College students, Williams acknowledged, are actually older than she is. She can relate to them, as she herself just completed a bachelor’s degree on May 23, 2010, with a major in sociology and minors in psychology and criminal justice.

Williams began her college education just three and one-half years ago, starting with an associate degree at Barstow College and finishing with the bachelor’s degree at Chapman University’s Victorville campus. Shortly after, she began work on a master’s degree at Chapman.

She has done all this since taking Markeisha into her home.

“It has meant that when I’m at home, I have spent a lot of time doing research and typing papers on the computer, time that I wanted to be spending doing things with my teens,” she said. “But I believe pursuing an education is worth it.”

Williams’ sudden interest in furthering her education after becoming a foster mom is because she now has an even bigger idea for helping troubled young people.

After completing her master’s degree, Williams wants to start a residential resource center somewhere in a rural part of the High Desert, serving boys ages 9 through 19. She plans to work with the foster care systems of large cities throughout the United States, such as Los Angeles and Detroit, Mich.

“It will be a place where they can get away from their problems and discover who they really are,” she said. “Teen-age years aren’t supposed to be spent worrying about gangs and drugs and parents doing the wrong things. They’re supposed to be a time for you to go to school and enjoy life.”

Her future goals will take her away from Four-D College, but William’s current boss, Four- D College President and CEO Linda Smith, understands. A little less than 20 years ago, Smith also had a big dream that involved giving people the resources they need for a better life.

In 1992, Smith realized her dream by opening what is now known as Four-D College. More than 10,000 people have since obtained the skills they need for careers in health care because of Smith’s dream.

The success of Four-D College has exceeded what Smith dreamed of 20 years ago, and she hopes the same for Williams.

“I know if Mai could, she would have 10 foster children or 100 foster children,” Smith said. “She edifies Four-D College’s philosophy of caring and compassion. Because of her, these children have a wonderful opportunity for a better future.”

Four-D College provides education in the growing health care field at locations in Colton and Victorville. Four-D College offers programs in vocational nursing, medical assistant, medical billing and coding, dental assistant, massage therapy and pharmacy technician.

New courses begin monthly at Four-D College and courses are available in the morning, afternoon and evening to meet the needs of working adults. For more information or a tour, call (800) 600-5422 or go to www.4DCollege.com.

Health Screenings Help People Stay Healthy

Four-D College’s medical assistant students, some shown here with CEO and President Linda Smith and  State Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod, offer free medical screenings. The college’s massage therapy students offer free massages. To find out more about how your group or organization can receive these free services call (909) 783-9331 or (760) 962-1325. Photo by Chris Sloan

 

 (COLTON, Calif.) Four-D College’s medical assistant program’s students want to help make sure people stay healthy.

They offer free health screenings for blood pressure and blood glucose levels to any organizations or groups whose members are interested in maintaining good health.

“We want to offer the services of our medical assistant students, said Cheryl Jerzak, director of the Four D- College medical assistant program. “We urge everyone to take advantage of these free screenings to maintain good health, or to be made aware of conditions they should discuss with a professional health care provider.”

As part of the service they offer, the medical assistant students will present these screenings during a health fair on Thursday, June 17 for the residents of Vista del Sol, a senior housing complex in Redlands.

They will do so again during a health fair open to the public, Saturday June 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Burning Bush Church in Victorville, 14849 Seventh Street At this health fair, massage therapy students will also provide free chair massages.

The massages are another service Four-D College offers at no charge.

“It is a great opportunity to have an organization like Four-D College put on these screenings,” said Henry Romero, president of HR Resources, a Riverside insurance company that is producing the health fair for Vista del Sol.  “The students’ professionalism and care is highly commendable.”

Romero noted that Four-D College students have also helped with a number of other health fairs his company produced, including ones recently for the City of Banning employees and an event at the Mission Inn in Riverside. At the Mission Inn event, Four-D College also offered free chair massages by massage therapy students.

Anyone who would like to arrange for Four-D College students to conduct free health care screenings or free chair massages for their group should call Four-D College at (909) 783-9331, or in the High Desert call (760) 962-1325.

Four-D College offers programs in vocational nursing, medical assistant, massage therapy, dental assistant, pharmacy technician, plus medical billing and coding.

New courses begin monthly, and are available mornings, afternoons and evening. For a campus tour or for additional information call the school at (909)-783-9331; in the High Desert phone (760) 962-1325; or go on line to www.4dcollege.com.

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Women Business Owners Discuss Confidence

 

Four-D College President and founder Linda Smith and five other female entrepreneurs will discus confidence at "Chain of Confidence," an event being put on  Thursday, Feb. 25 by the National Association of Women Businss Owners - Inland Empire.

(RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif.)  Four-D College President Linda Smith and five other female entrepreneurs will discuss on Feb. 25 how they obtained the confidence necessary to become successful business owners.

The National Association of Women Business Owners – Inland Empire is hosting this conference, which takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Four Point Sheraton Hotel, 11960 Foothill Blvd., Rancho Cucamonga.

“We will describe the role of confidence in business,” said Smith, who is the founder of Four-D College, a private Christian college focusing on nursing and other health care professions.

“Our goal is to build confidence in new and potential business owners, especially women, and to build awareness of the impact of women-owned businesses in the Inland Empire,” Smith said. “We are out there by the thousands. We have an impact on the hiring of hundreds of thousands of people, and we generate millions of dollars to put back into our local economy.”

Other participants in the panel are: Moderator and host Fran Boytos, national sales trainer and director for BeautiControl; Ursula Mentjes, certified sales coach and author; Robin De-Ivy, certified nutrition specialist and founder of Necessary Nutrition, LLC, Gwen Thibeaux, motivational speaker, author and president of National Association of Women in Business – Inland Empire; and Elise Rainey, a former model and ballerina who now owns beauty consulting service Image by Elise.

Early registration, available until Feb. 14, is $15. To register, go to www.iechainofconfidence.com. For more information call (951) 259-5198 or email Info@NessyNutri.com.

The National Association of Women Business Owners represents the interests of  America’s women business owners, propelling them into greater economic, social and political influence worldwide. Women-owned businesses are the fastest-growing segment of the economy, which NAWBO estimates at 10 million. .

The Inland Empire chapter is one of 80 across the United States. It estimates there are nearly 100,000 women-owned businesses in San Bernardino and Riverside counties, generating about $32 billion annually in sales.

NAWBO - Inland Empire’s strives to increase growth and profitability of women-owned businesses, influence business and economic issues at the local, state and national levels of government, build women business owners’ relational networks, provide information and education about women-owned businesses and encourage more women to start their own businesses.

Four-D College provides education in the growing health care field at locations in Colton and Victorville. Four-D College offers programs in vocational nursing, medical assistant, medical billing and coding, dental assistant, massage therapy and pharmacy technician.

New courses begin monthly at Four-D College and courses are available in the morning, afternoon and evening to meet the needs of working students. Call (909) 783-9331 or in the High Desert call (760) 962-1325; for more information, or go to www.4DCollege.com.

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262 Nurses and Health Care Workers Ready To Serve Inland Empire

2009 graduates were all smiles after completing nursing and other health care programs at Four-D College, preparing themselves for great careers. On  Feb. 19, 2010, 262 more Four-D students will be ready to begin their careers, after becoming graduates during the Winter 2010 ceremony at Ontario  Convention Center. Photo courtesy of Four-D College

(COLTON, Calif.) –  Four-D will award 262 degrees in vocational nursing and certifications for other health care programs who will be participating in the Winter Graduation Ceremony.

The college will recognize these graduates 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 19 at the Ontario Convention Center. Alumni from both the Colton and Victorville campuses will participate in this voluntary graduation ceremony.

“Our goal is the overall success of our students,” said President Linda Smith. “I believe all things are possible with God, and at Four-D College we always try to demonstrate that. We join with these alumni in celebrating the realization of their goal, graduation from Four-D College.”

The ceremony gives special recognition to 47 honors students who achieved grade point averages of 3.8 to 4.0, and 17 who had perfect attendance throughout their education at Four-D College.

Among the graduates are 94 alumni who have completed an associate degree in vocational nursing, 65 who completed their education in medical assistant, eight who completed their education in dental assistant, 44 who completed their education in medical billing/coding, 44 who completed their education in pharmacy technician, and seven who completed their education in massage therapy.

Guest speaker for the graduation is U.S. Army (Reserve) Capt. Kimberly R. Anthony, who is a registered nurse for the Mental Health Department of Patton State Hospital in Pomona, and the president of the Inland Empire Black Nurses Association, Inc.  

The new graduates’ relationship with Four-D College won’t end on Graduation Day, Smith pointed out. The next step is for the college’s placement office to help them find jobs, as it has previously done with 75 to 100 percent of the graduates, depending on which major they completed.

“Our dedicated placement staff will help them enter into employment by working with them until they find a job in the field for which they are trained,” Smith said.  “And if for some reason they need to find another job in the future, the placement staff will help them find that job too. As long as our students need this help, we are here for them.”

The placement staff maintains a database of employers and passes leads onto the new Four-D College graduates. It also helps them write resumes and prepare for job interviews.

Some of those interviews take place on campus, during the job fairs held on campus several times each year. These job fairs are open to the public as well, Smith said.

Four-D College provides education in the growing health care field at locations in Colton and Victorville. It offers an associate degree in vocational nursing and certifications in medical assistant, medical billing and coding, dental assistant, massage therapy and pharmacy technician.

New courses begin monthly at Four-D College and courses are available in the morning, afternoon and evening to meet the needs of working students. Call (909) 783-9331 or in the High Desert call (760) 962-1325 for more information, or go to www.4DCollege.com.

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Four-D College Recognizing Health Care Professionals

Four-D College students receive hands-on experience in the medical field by holding clinical training at clinics and hospitals. The college would like to expand its base of clinical training sites, and will tell more about the programs it offers in a “Clinical Training Appreciation Program” on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

 

(COLTON, Calif.) –  How do nurses receive the hands on instruction they need? They work with hospitals and clinics to provide the supervised training they need to become excellent health care providers.

Clinical training provides Four-D college students with hands-on instruction in a real-life setting. The school currently offers programs in the fields of massage therapy, vocational nursing, dental assistant, medical assistant, medical billing and coding.

Four-D College plans to add programs in registered nursing and psychiatric technician, thus will need to expand the locations where its students can participate in clinical training.

Four-D College will recognize the health care providers it already has relationships with, and inform other providers about the school’s programs when it hosts its “Clinical Training Appreciation Program” on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

The event takes place at Four-D College’s Colton campus, 1020 E. Washington St., from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

“Four-D College would like to acknowledge the contributions and hard work that clinical training sites extend on a consistent basis to faculty and students,” said Dr. Sybil Damon. “ Additionally the college wishes to strengthen existing relationships and form new partnerships with interested health care providers for clinical rotations.”

During the event, health care professionals can receive a tour of the campus, learn more about the health care instruction provided by Four-D College and enjoy refreshments. The college will present certificates of appreciation to the health care providers with whom it already has clinical training partnerships.

Reservations can be made up through the day of the event by calling Four-D College and speaking with Michelle Turner at 909-783-9331.

Four-D College provides education in the growing health care field at locations in Colton and Victorville. It offers programs in medical assistant, medical billing and coding, dental assistant, massage therapy, pharmacy technician and vocational nursing.

New courses begin monthly at Four-D College and courses are offered in the morning, afternoon and evening. Call (909) 783-9331 or (760) 962-1325 for more information or go to www.4DCollege.com.

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Finding The Right Job: Four D College Offers An Answer

Linda Smith, president of Four-D College

(COLTON, Calif.) In California the unemployment rate is expected to surge, according to the UCLA Anderson Forecast, a highly respected gauge of what is happening statewide. 

The Anderson Forecast states while California is at a record of 12.3-percent unemployment rate, (and the Inland Empire hovers at just over 14 percent according to the California Employment Development Department) the rate will surge higher in the future.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there are a number of career fields that will be hiring new workers in the next seven to ten years and a good share of those jobs are in the health care profession.  The lion’s share of those jobs are expected to go to people who have certificates of training. 

Four –D College provides the needed training and has a job placement program with a good success rate for placing people after they have finished their training.

Jessica Hsu, Career Development Representative at the Colton campus explained that each student is provided lifetime job placement service. The Colton school has an 82 percent job placement success rate, she said, and there is a 75 percent placement success rate in Victorville.

One student who graduated from Four-D College and found a rewarding career as a Licensed Vocational Nurse is Juliet Bodden.  She explained that the placement department did a great job in helping her to obtain just the right job in the healthcare field as a licensed vocational nurse.

“Four-D College Career Placement Advisor Patricia Salgado helped me to put together a resume and then continued to submit my resume even after I was working until I found the job I have now,” Bodden said.

Four-D College worked quickly after Bodden graduated to get her into the right job, “I graduated in June then in July I got my license and within a week and a half I got the job I have now.”

Bodden explained Four-D College helped her to realize her dream as a health care professional.  “I was in a job working for a distribution center, I hated; it was misery.  After graduation from high school I thought about being a nurse and sort of threw it out the window My husband encouraged me to pursue it, and so I did.”

The experience Bodden had with Four-D College was so positive she has recommended the school to her friends.  “The job placement service is great; they offered everything I needed.  They are there to help and they mentored me through the whole process and made it so easy all I had to do was show up.”

Four-D College is dedicated to helping people enter a rewarding career, one that is recession proof because there is always a need for good health care professionals.  Four-D College offers training in the health care field, where people who enjoy working with others, possess a caring attitude and desire to be a healthcare professional can find a rewarding career.

Four-D has two campuses in the Inland Empire devoted to helping people obtain the training necessary.  There is a campus in Colton and one in Victorville. 

The college was started in 1992 as a place to prepare students to become highly marketable health care professionals.  The San Bernardino Employment and Training Agencies (SBETA) and the San Bernardino Private Industry Council have named the school the Outstanding School of the Year.

Providing assistance to find a job as a health care professional is something that Four-D College does with great success.

 “We help the student develop their resume and cover letter, and we assist with helping a proactive student to find a job,” Hsu said. Anytime a graduate wants to come back to Four-D College we will provide them job help.  We do a job search package with each student.”

President of the College Linda L. Smith explained that Four-D College is committed to preparing students to meet the challenges in the health care field through a program that is carefully designed around specific objectives that must be met to have a qualified graduate.  “The lesson plans the faculty use in the classroom consider the job market and what the needs are of the employer,” Smith said.

A specially designed advisory board consisting of employers in the field holds regular meetings with the faculty where a thorough review of the onsite curriculum is done.

  “Our goal is to determine whether the trends happening in an individual’s specific employment field is up to date, and whether the tools and equipment we are using is the latest technology to ensure that students are receiving the best training,” Smith said.

Students who attend Four-D College can choose several different health care professions.  Education programs are conducted in dental assistant, medical assistant, medical billing/coding, massage therapy, pharmacy technician and vocational nursing.

Flexibility is also part of the training as students can take morning, afternoon or evening classes and courses can be completed from between nine months and 18 months, depending on the area of study pursued. 

Smith said, “The education received is a holistic approach where the individual gets outside training in the community.  They receive hands on training in the field outside the classroom in their field of study.”

“Four-D is different as a private Christian school. We deal with the academic in a holistic sense the mind, body and spirit,” Smith said.  “We pray for the students to be successful and that they can overcome the challenges which interfere with their education.”  The college begins each day and ends each day with prayer.

Four-D College has a preschool program for 2 to 5 year olds, which is also open to the public. 

For students who qualify financial aid is available.  For those who did not complete high school a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) program approved by the state is also available. 

San Bernardino County Schools Superintendent Dr Gary Thomas acknowledged the GED program because of its interactive model for students.  “We put together a program that provides a mentor for students getting their GED, so they can be successful, and we have a 95-percent passing rate,” Smith said.

The only requirements students are asked to bring with them to Four-D College is a strong desire to achieve, a determination to follow through the process, a drive to an energy level needed to                                                             

maintain consistent efforts to accomplish the program, and the ability to deliver the desired goals for success.  President Smith explained that when a student brings those qualities to their training it’s a win-win for everybody.

Four-D College provides education in the growing health care field at locations in Colton and Victorville. It offers programs in medical assistant, medical billing and coding, dental assistant, massage therapy, pharmacy technician and vocational nursing.

New courses begin monthly at Four-D College and courses are offered in the morning, afternoon and evening. Call (909) 783-9331 or (760) 962-1325 for more information or go to www.4DCollege.com.

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Four-D College Helps Feed The Hungry

(SAN BERNARDINO) – The San Bernardino County Food Bank has a lot more bread to give away this week, thanks to the help of 20 students who are studying to become medical assistants at Four-D College, their instructor and their department director.

The contingent from Four-D College recently spent about two hours working with the food bank. Students from both its Colton and Victorville campuses assisted.

“We packed about 10,000 lbs. of bread,” said Cheryl Jerzak, Director of Medical Assisting for Four-D College. “The students loved the sense of community and teamwork we experienced. We hope to do this again in about six months.”

“It was a lot of work, but it was rewarding to know we helped make someone’s holiday season brighter,” said Jason Garcia, one of the participating students from Colton.

Stater Brothers, a frequent contributor to the San Bernardino County Food Bank, donated the bread. The Four-D team’s job was to pick out and discard the small amount of bread that had gone bad, and then to further sort the bread into sweet breads and regular breads.

The San Bernardino County Food Bank relies mainly on volunteers, but 22 more from Four-D College were a welcome addition, said Gerald Wilson, spokesperson for the food bank.

“It would have taken our normal (much smaller and busier) crew a week to pack as much bread as they packed in two hours,” Wilson said. “Their help means the food will get to the hungry people who need it that much faster.”

The San Bernardino County Food Bank serves about 120 locations throughout the county, including some in Needles and other communities on the Arizona border, as well as more than 30 in the city of San Bernardino.

Four-D College provides education in the growing health care field at locations in Colton and Victorville. It offers programs in medical assistant, medical billing and coding, dental assistant, massage therapy, pharmacy technician and vocational nursing.

New courses begin monthly at Four-D College and courses are offered in the morning, afternoon and evening. Call (909) 783-9331 or (760) 962-1325 for more information or go to www.Four-DCollege.com.

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