Empowering communities through health education
Kristen Killgore, Program Manager of the Community Health Worker Training Program (CHI) at Asian Women for Health (AWFH), believes that the work she does helps build skills while also assisting newcomers and marginalized communities in finding their footing, using their voices, and building meaningful careers in healthcare.
“Through CHI, we provide training, case management, and job placement support for community health workers,” Kristen explained. “We are intentional about ensuring our outreach is inclusive and engages neighborhoods and communities where immigrants may resettle and/or live.”
Training the Next Generation of Community Health Workers
The CHI program trains students to become certified Community Health Workers in the state of Massachusetts. But beyond certification, the curriculum is about uplifting people with lived experience, particularly immigrants and refugees, to serve as vital connectors between their communities and the healthcare system.
“We teach the state’s ten core competencies like effective communication, outreach methods, cultural responsiveness, mediation, and care coordination,” Kristen said. “They become cultural experts, whether of their own communities or as advocates for others.”
Job-Readiness Training Starts With Upwardly Global (UpGlo)
Each cohort receives job-readiness training, free lunches, and one-on-one coaching until every graduate finds work. Before classes begin, students complete Upwardly Global’s healthcare job-readiness pathway, a foundational step born out of student feedback.
“We actually get them connected to Upwardly Global’s healthcare pathway before class starts,” she said. “That gives them an understanding of job readiness here, as well as helps with retention to keep them going until class starts.”
The small shift of moving UpGlo’s training to the beginning of the CHI program came directly from student feedback.
“One student told me how helpful it was to be able to stop and go at her own pace,” Kristen shared. “She said it gave her a strong foundation before we dove into the specialized part of the community health worker training.”
A Partnership That Amplifies Impact
Kristen views the Upwardly Global partnership as especially powerful for newcomers in their program.
“Our community health worker job-readiness course is focused on [community health worker] skills, but having that additional layer that speaks to the immigrant experience makes a huge difference,” she said.
The partnership also helps AWFH increase its capacity as a small organization by enabling the organization to focus more time on one-on-one coaching and support services, resulting in more quantitative success.
Success Stories and Lifelong Learning
In one recent cohort, 80% of the graduates found jobs. Another student is using the Upwardly Global platform to explore Coursera and eCornell courses while job searching.
“She likes that she still has access to it, and she’s thinking about adding more skills before landing the job she really wants,” Kristen said.
For Kristen, the students are the inspiration, especially those who were physicians in their home countries.
“Their certifications aren’t accepted here, so they start over,” she said. “But they come wanting to give back. They want to be that bridge.”
It is that commitment to support newcomers realizing their dreams that makes the partnership between AWFH and Upwardly Global so aligned.
Full Circle: A Legacy of Support and Opportunity
“Our former executive director was a refugee from Afghanistan who came through Upwardly Global,” Kristen recalled. “She got support there and then brought that partnership here because she wanted to extend that same opportunity to others. It’s kind of full circle.”
For Kristen, partnerships between organizations like AWFH and Upwardly Global cast a wider net of possibility and access.
“Our goal is for every student to complete the training, use the resources, and find a job,” she said. “When they do, we all win.”
Let’s Build a More Inclusive Workforce Together
Inspired by this story? Join the growing number of organizations unlocking global talent and helping immigrants reclaim their careers in the U.S. Whether you’re ready to explore partnership opportunities, request a demo, or just learn more — our team is here to help you take the next step. Connect with us today and discover what’s possible!