Meet Cheyenne Smith. She is working as a Personal Care Attendant and studying to be a Speech Language Pathologist. Here’s Cheyenne’s story.
Cheyenne grew up in the Calais area and graduated from U-32 High School. When her mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, Cheyenne knew that she wanted to pursue a career in the medical profession. She felt pulled to do something to give back and to support others. This fall, Cheyenne will start her senior year at the University of New Hampshire, where she’s studying to become a Speech Language Pathologist.
“Before a personal experience with home health for my grandfather (who died last summer), I did not know much about the services home health provides. My grandfather received hospice care from a VNA in the Northeast Kingdom, and it was amazing,” she says. When Cheyenne saw that CVHHH was looking for PCAs, she decided to apply.
Cheyenne works with a few clients and says that she “really, really enjoys” her job. She admits that, at first, she was nervous, but that she goes into work with a positive attitude and the knowledge that helping others is her passion. “I really enjoy building relationships with my clients. Some of the people I work with don’t have family close by, and it’s nice to be able to give a person companionship for a few hours. It’s nice to hear their stories and to visit. Often, after I finish with my work, cleaning or preparing meals, I will sit down and just chat. I ask about their week and if family has visited, what their life has been like. It’s been excellent.”
Click here to learn more about working as a Personal Care Attendant and to apply for a PCA job today.