Candice Baylor
Age: 22
Hometown: Marion, VA, VA
Region: Philadelphia
Center: Blue Ridge
Dates enrolled: 4/12/2017 – 1/9/2018
Training: Clinical Medical Assistant, Phlebotomy, EKG Tech., Patient Care Tech.

Candice Baylor grew up in Richmond, VA, with dreams of working in theatre production. After graduating high school, she began taking some local theatre courses. It was there that she learned about Mass Communications, and she decided that she was the career she wanted to pursue. She was accepted into the mass comm. program at Radford University, but felt that the fit wasn’t right. After one semester, she returned home to Richmond. She knew she wanted to continue her education, and she had to look no further than her older sister Angelica to find the right program. Angelica was away from home earning medical training at Blue Ridge Job Corps in Marion, VA, and had spoken very highly of the program and her experiences there, so Candice decided to give it a shot.
“The major draw for me was of course the recommendation from my sister, but also the fact that it the program was designed to allow me to work at my own pace,” Candice stated. In less than a year, she had earned certifications in Clinical Medical Assistant, Phlebotomy, EKG Tech., and Patient Care Tech. She then finished up her training with an internship at Smyth County Family Physicians.
Candice quickly found a job within her trade, working at Mountain States Medical Group’s pain management clinic, while simultaneously completing general education courses at Virginia Highlands Community College. She continued to research mass comm. programs, and quickly discovered that within a 30 minute drive was a great program at Emory & Henry College. She graduated from VHCC in May 2019, and enrolled at Emory & Henry in August of that year. “Although I loved my job at the clinic, I left the job after a year to become a full-time student and put all my energy into earning my degree in Mass Communications,” Candice explained. In May 2021, that dream became a reality, as she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in the field she was so passionate about. She is looking forward to pursuing a Master’s Degree en route to her ultimate goal of being a journalist for a television news station.
“Step out of your comfort zone,” Candice advises. “Explore different career paths until you find your passion, and once you do, work hard until you achieve your goals.”