Medical Front Office Student Unlocks a Drive to Succeed

Estherline Modesir never pictured herself going to college.

As the eldest of five children, she was always trying to think of quick ways to make money, to help her father who was always working and her mother who was always trying to help others and push her kids to succeed.

There were nights growing up when they had no food and no lights. Estherline dreamed of building a different life for herself, but a college education seemed out of reach.

“I knew my family wouldn’t be able to afford college,” she said. “I knew as a person I wouldn’t be fortunate enough to pay for college while my dad was paying all these bills and my mom wasn’t working, trying to push her kids to do something with their life. I thought how would I look trying to add this debt onto my shoulders? I thought no, I’m not going to do it.”

As she scrolled through social media one day, Estherline saw a post about Florida Career College. She decided to pray about it and then felt prompted to give the school a call.

“I’ve hated school all my life. It was never a good experience for me at school,” she said.

With her mother’s blessing, Estherline enrolled in the Medical Front Office and Billing program at the Pembroke Pines campus.

“I didn’t know where I was going with this, I just chose it to get a taste of the medical field,” she said. “Now, I love everything about it. The biggest part I love about billing and coding is helping people. I know when you’re billing, you’re helping people. It’s beneficial to me and the patients. It’s beneficial for me because I’m learning. For the patient, without it, you can’t do anything. Billing and coding will never stop. It will be here forever. It’s really beneficial and fun and you learn so much value.”

Her time in the program wasn’t always easy. Life at home was difficult and there were many times when Estherline felt ready to quit. Her teachers inspired her to keep moving forward.

“My perception of myself changed when someone else saw my worth before I found it,” Estherline said. “My teacher told me about school, life itself and how even if you’re going through things, you should never back down, keep fighting. She pushed me. This lady was a blessing from heaven. She came into my life for a reason.”

“I told them in class the sky is the limit,” said Sally Sanders, a Career Services Specialist at Pembroke Pines. “With her interest and her focus, she can go all the way. She was on point. She turned in her assignments on time. She loved to ask questions and she made sure she was always helping others. She just made things interesting.”

Estherline was able to finish her program in ten months. Two months later she was hired in the front office of a medical facility. She plans to go back to school to explore billing and insurance coding further.

“When you enter the school, you never know what’s ahead or what will happen next, but one person can show you a difference,” she said. “When you get to learn what you’re doing it’s like reading a book backwards. It’s like riding a bicycle. You don’t know how far you can get until you see yourself doing things you’re not use to doing. That’s what billing and coding does to people. You think this is going to be a boring day but then it’s like wow, I’m ready. I can do anything. It’s a great experience. That school deserves a lot, they really do.”