May 13
Husband-and-wife duo Hernan Pataron ‘26 and Jocelynn Carrasco ‘26 have certainly kept busy as full-time students who both balance full-time jobs while raising their daughter. The two recently graduated with their associate degrees in developmental disabilities from North Shore Community College (NSCC), the beginning of a new chapter in their lives as they transfer to a four-year college to finish their bachelor’s degrees.
“We like challenges, we like opportunities, and so we take them,” said Carrasco.
NSCC expanded their skills, put them on a path to further education, and has opened the door to better careers in the mental health field.
Building their family’s future
In their home country of Ecuador, Pataron studied international business and Carrasco studied architecture—but when they immigrated four years ago with limited English proficiency, they had to start from scratch.
They both took jobs at Salem Hospital, performing menial tasks like patient transportation and taking out the trash at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department. Because the healthcare system in the United States is different from Ecuador, the concept of a psychiatric unit was completely new to them, and they immediately recognized how psychiatric care helps people build happier lives.
They also saw an education opportunity: if they had degrees, they could build more meaningful careers in the field. With the birth of their daughter, they had even more motivation to pursue an education.
“We save money for Emma, we study for Emma, we are getting degrees for Emma—because everything is for her,” said Pataron.
Coursework in the real world
The pair are determined to take every opportunity they can, and that’s what brought them to NSCC. Thanks to the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BWET) grant through their employer, they began by earning certificates in developmental disabilities, returning to NSCC to earn their associate degrees for free through MassReconnect.
The flexibility of online courses helped them as they both juggled school, parenting, and working full time. NSCC’s faculty and staff, such as BHWET Grant Director Lisa Barrett and Professor Erinn Gilmore, supported them every step of the way, from answering questions about coursework to helping them register for classes.
Pataron and Carrasco learned how to engage and communicate with patients, finding it easy to apply their classroom knowledge as they work with children and adolescents in the hospital’s inpatient program, and helping them to develop goals and self-confidence.
“We introduce these coping skills to kids: boundaries, limits, expectations, triggers. It's really fulfilling to see the change and all the progress,” said Carrasco. “We tell them that you need something more—you need hope, you need to trust in yourself.”
Stepping stones to achievement
Pataron and Carrasco credit NSCC with helping them both develop the organizational and goal-setting skills they need to build their family’s future. Now, it’s time for them to achieve even more.
Pataron and Carrasco are transferring to William James College to earn their bachelor’s degrees in psychology and human services. William James College is one of the many four-year institutions with which NSCC has an articulation agreement, making it easier to transfer credits between schools.
In fall 2027, however, the duo will be back at NSCC to pursue nursing degrees, making them well-rounded healthcare professionals.
One day, Carrasco says, she wants to return to South America to increase awareness of mental health issues.
“It's a big dream,” she said.
“But it's not impossible,” Pataron added.
Learn more about the Developmental Disabilities program at NSCC.