“Don’t do it if it’s a chore – do it because you enjoy it.”

“What we learn with pleasure we never forget.” – Alfred Mercier

When someone says “thank you,” you would usually say “you’re welcome,” right? Wrong—at least here at UMRC. Instead, we respond with “my pleasure” because serving our residents brings us joy. It is our delight to help others.

For Jourdan Larmee, serving residents is her passion and her career. She joined UMRC in March 2015, after becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CENA) through Washtenaw Community College, and she is pursuing a degree in nursing.

“It makes me happy to come to work each day,” Jourdan said. “It is the best feeling to walk into work and see all of the residents—I miss them when I’m not here, and they miss me.”

Jourdan works full time as a CENA at Kresge Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center on the Chelsea Retirement Community campus. On top of working 40 + hours a week, Jourdan attends Washtenaw Community College full time and was just accepted into their nursing program.

“Helping people is something I am good at,” Jourdan said. “My work experience at UMRC helped me get into this nursing program. I used to work in a pharmacy, but I didn’t have a lot of interactions with people. Now I come home from work feeling happy and satisfied. I care—it’s what I do.”

Jourdan begins a five-semester nursing program in January, but will complete it in only four semesters because she took summer classes. She is also a winner of a UMRC Foundation Staff Scholarship and was awarded $3,000 for her first semester of nursing school.

“People ask me all the time how I balance school and work,” Jourdan said. “My family is always there for me and takes care of me, and UMRC gives me flexible work hours and supports my education to help me reach my goals.”

The UMRC Foundation Staff Scholarship Program is a competitive, educational enrichment program offering financial assistance to UMRC employees who are pursuing a certification, degree, or continuing education to support their career goals. Scholarships are awarded according to the needs of the individual.

“Balancing everything is definitely hard; there’s not a lot of room for free time,” Jourdan said. “But for me, I love what I do, so my residents come first—I’m their person.”

Jourdan’s advice for someone looking for a new job or career is:

“Don’t do it if it’s a chore—do it because you enjoy it.”