Crystal Barrera

Through Oakton and Northwestern Medicine, Crystal discovered that the best healthcare starts with human connection.

Crystal Barrera knew she wanted to work in healthcare ever since she was a little girl playing with toy stethoscopes. Through Oakton’s Medical Assistant Apprenticeship Program with Northwestern Medicine, that childhood dream became a career built on compassion and curiosity. Today, Crystal is doing the work she loves while making patients feel seen, heard and cared for.

Curiosity to Career

Some of Crystal’s earliest experiences with healthcare happened while helping her family navigate the system.

“I grew up with immigrant parents—my dad and grandma raised me—and a lot of my life was always translating,” she said. “When I would go with my grandma to her appointments to translate, it was different. I had this curiosity and wanted to help. It made me understand that having more diversity in the healthcare system can go a long way in making a difference.” 

After high school, Crystal enrolled at Oakton, earned her CNA credential and began working as a patient care technician (PCT). She enjoyed caring for patients in the hospital and realized she could build strong relationships with patients and work more closely alongside physicians and nurses as a medical assistant. 

Learning Alongside the Experts 

The apprenticeship program combined classroom learning at Oakton with paid, hands-on experience at Northwestern Medicine, allowing Crystal to build her skills in real healthcare settings from day one. 

“I learn better by working with my hands,” she said. “Being in the actual setting where things are getting done, you see it in real time. That really stood out to me.”

Crystal’s classes at Oakton gave her context and confidence for the work she was doing at Northwestern. And working as a medical assistant apprentice, she learned directly from experienced healthcare professionals. As her confidence grew, so did the opportunities.

“I like to say I made the most of my time,” Crystal said. “They trusted me a lot. When they needed somebody, I became a reliable resource.”

Because she'd earned that trust, Crystal rotated through specialties such as ENT, cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology and nephrology. These experiences helped her discover where she wanted to build her career.

Finding Belonging on a Healthcare Team

Crystal gives a lot of credit to the many people who helped her succeed in the program. Northwestern practice manager Katie Brand made sure Crystal had the support she needed on the job, and Oakton program advisor Jeremy Brown helped her navigate the college experience.

“Katie was very supportive. She'd check in regularly and she’d see how I was doing,” she said. “She'd pair me up with a mentor or help me if I needed to study. And Jeremy was always on top of everything. As a first-generation student, everything is new. Jeremy and Katie made the program go a lot smoother.”

Crystal also learned the meaning of being part of a healthcare team. The medical assistants, nurses and providers she worked alongside became teachers and teammates. “These are the people I'm bugging every day: 'What are we doing today? Explain this to me.' They definitely made me feel like I was part of the team.”

That culture made the transition from student to permanent employee feel natural.

Making Every Patient's Day Better

Today, Crystal is a full-time medical assistant at Northwestern Medicine, where she continues to learn something new every day while helping patients through what can often be stressful moments. 

“The healthcare field is a learning experience,” she said. “If you're willing to absorb, stay curious and be a team player, it's a great place to be."

And for Crystal, the role is about much more than clinical skills. “Just listening to somebody could make their whole day,” she said. It’s a full-circle moment: “Now, I have patients who come in whose parents don't speak English, and I'm able to speak to them in Spanish. It gives me the chance to create a whole person-to-person relationship and help them feel comfortable. It makes a difference.”