Sarah (center) and her Carer Launch advisors Patrice Russell (L) and Kaiya Watauchi (R).
As a 35-year-old wife and mother of two, Sarah Hufstetler dared to dream beyond the familiar. With both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communications, Sarah worked as an analyst in the tech industry for many years. But after having kids, she dreamed of pursuing a more meaningful and fulfilling career working in health care.
“I knew it would require me to go back to school, and that quite honestly terrified me. I went back and forth for over a year, and then I officially made the leap,” she said. “I quit my job and started back to school to pursue pre-nursing at Stark State in 2021.”
After completing a couple of semesters of nursing prerequisites, Sarah learned about the Career Launch program at Akron Children’s.
“I was immediately intrigued and thought it sounded too good to be true,” she said. “I had quit a career that paid a good salary, and I was starting over from scratch. I was going to school for a career that I knew was going to take a long time to finish, and would require a huge sacrifice from my family, both financially and time spent away from them to focus on nursing school.”
Sarah says she couldn’t have switched her career and gone back to school if it weren’t for the support of her husband, Paul.
While pursuing pre-nursing, Sarah discovered Stark State’s Medical Assistant (MA) program. Its quicker completion time – just three semesters – offered an enticing entry point to a health care career.
Sarah applied for the MA program, and immediately got accepted. Shortly thereafter, she was accepted into Career Launch Plus (students attend school full-time while being offered up to 15 hours of paid professional development time each month). As a nontraditional student, Sarah said Career Launch gave her encouragement and peace of mind.
“I cannot tell you how much of a financial relief it was knowing that the program would be paying for this whole career change journey – including tuition, materials, mileage to and from school, financial support, childcare assistance and job placement assistance at Akron Children’s upon graduation,” she said.
Sarah was also excited to have guidance and support from Career Launch advisors, Patrice Russell and Kaiya Watauchi along the way.
“I felt very supported and encouraged by Kaiya and Patrice,” said Sarah. “They celebrated every success I had in school, listened to my concerns, and answered my questions very quickly. I had support from them even as I was preparing to take my state exam.”
Sarah works as a medical assistant in Akron Children’s Pediatrics Green office.
Born prematurely, the irony of working at the same hospital that saved her life 35 years ago isn’t lost on Sarah.
“I was born at 29 weeks, with a twin brother who passed away shortly after birth,” she said. “I weighed 2 lbs. but thanks to the amazing team at Akron Children’s I survived.”
Today, Sarah works as an MA at Akron Children’s Pediatrics’ Green location.
“I was so nervous about fitting in and working in an office setting after 6 years of being at home,” said. “But everyone has been patient, kind, encouraging and understanding as I’ve learned and mastered all the skills required for my job.”
Sarah’s hopes her story is an inspiration to anyone considering a career change, especially those facing financial hurdles or self-doubt.
“Go for it!” she said. “This program makes it possible with the support and job placement assistance you need to succeed. Don’t let fear hold you back. Embrace the resources available, ask questions and soak up every learning opportunity.”
Learn more about Career Launch and Career Launch Plus and unlock your own meaningful career path at careers.akronchildrens.org/jobs.
