For 32 years, Belinda Calhoun has worked as a home health aide for BayCare HomeCare. She loves caring for patients and feels blessed to have the opportunity, because most jobs at BayCare require at least a high school diploma. Calhoun dropped out of school in 10th grade.
Life was sometimes a struggle after she left school. Later she got married, had two children and worked 12-hour shifts taking care of her patients, but the lack of a diploma gnawed at her. She tried to go back to school to get a GED, but it didn’t work out. “I felt stuck,” she said.
At age 63, Calhoun is stuck no more. On July 1, she and 20 other BayCare team members donned blue caps and gowns for the first graduation ceremony of the BayCare High School Diploma Program. Family members, friends and BayCare leaders joined graduates to celebrate the milestone.
“I feel like I’ve finally accomplished something I’ve been trying to do my whole life,” Calhoun said. “I don’t have to feel ashamed anymore. I feel so inspired and appreciative.”
BayCare President and CEO Stephanie Conners spoke to the graduates about her own struggles to achieve her dream of going to college to become a nurse even though her parents lacked the financial resources to pay the costs. She urged the graduates to let nothing stop them. Today she leads the largest academic health system serving West Central Florida.
“The door was opened for you…now write your next chapter,” she told them. “Your future is what you make it. I’m incredibly proud of you.”
BayCare started the diploma program in 2024 after determining that more than 2,000 of BayCare’s almost 34,000 team members lacked the diploma required to advance into many career opportunities. It also created a talent gap in the positions above entry level and contributed to retention issues.
“We needed to meet these team members where they are,” said Maria Reza, BayCare Workforce Development manager. “We want our people to come in, grow, get training and progress in their careers.”
BayCare contracted with Penn Foster, a nationally accredited and certified provider of an online high school diploma program that delivers 21 credit hours of core high school subjects and electives, all online and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For team members accepted into the program, BayCare covers the $1,500 tuition cost. Students complete the coursework on their own schedule while continuing to work.
BayCare team members who wish to participate must apply for the program and are screened to ensure they are a good fit. The goal is to have each student complete the diploma program in a year or less. Students commit to work for BayCare for at least one year after receiving their diplomas.
BayCare’s Workforce Development team members provide coaching and support to the students throughout the program. The team’s success can be measured with data: Since the program began in 2024, 41 students have been enrolled, 31 have graduated and 10 are still actively enrolled. Four graduates have been promoted at work, and five have been accepted into post-secondary education programs.
The program's impact is evident in both the numbers and the lives it has changed.
Ashley Hawthorne
Ashley Hawthorne's high school graduation day in 2010 left her disappointed. Just shy of meeting the requirements for a diploma, she instead received a certificate of completion.
She became a BayCare team member last September and was working a full-time job at Bloomingdale HealthHub® Primary Care when she heard about the diploma program.
At 35, and as a single mother of three, Hawthorne knew earning her diploma while working full time would be challenging. However, she completed the program in record time, gaining new confidence and optimism from her success.
On the day she received her diploma, Hawthorne went to Hillsborough College and applied for admission. She was accepted and starts classes next month. She hopes to study forensic sciences for a career in law enforcement. “Now I can apply for jobs with confidence,” she said.
Norma Lopez
Norma Lopez, 54, was born and raised in Honduras. After her family moved to New York, she pursued several paths to try to earn a high school diploma, but language barriers made her progress difficult. She married, had three children, moved to Tampa and in 2015 was hired by BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital-South as an environmental services (EVS) technician, an entry-level role that didn’t require a high school diploma.
Two years ago, she learned that BayCare had a new high school diploma program, and she was eager to learn more and enroll. However, the Penn Foster program is conducted entirely in English, and her English, especially written English, needed to improve. BayCare knocked down that hurdle, too, offering Lopez a basic English course that she completed before enrolling in the diploma program.
A year later, Lopez had her high school diploma and a promotion to EVS coordinator at St. Joseph’s Hospital-South. In that role, she stays on top of the work of 39 dayshift EVS team members, conducts the team huddle, orients new employees, helps her manager with scheduling and carries the main department phone.
“The Workforce Development team always encouraged me to keep going. I could call them any time. Without them, I wouldn’t have made it,” Lopez said. “You need people like them on your side.”
The BayCare High School Diploma Program is one example of how BayCare invests in the growth and success of its more than 34,000 team members. Whether pursuing a first promotion, additional education or a new career path, graduates now have more opportunities to shape their futures.
Learn more about career opportunities and growth programs at BayCare: Careers at BayCare
