Meet Josephine

Tri-C Faculty Is ‘Like Family’

It would have been hard for Josephine Yousef to imagine how her life was going to change when in 2015 she met the person who would become her husband. At that time, she was single. She lived in Syria. She had a degree in English literature, and she was teaching English to first and second graders.

But that first date proved a fork in her road. In 2016, the two got engaged. She moved to Northeast Ohio to be with her fiancé, and that year they married. Two years later, they had a newborn daughter along with the joy and stress that come with it all.

“I was searching, wondering what I should do,” Yousef said. “I still wanted to achieve my dreams.”

That’s when a cousin told her about the Radiography program at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®). After some research, which brought Northeast Ohio’s strong health care job market to her attention, she decided to give it a go. She enrolled at Tri-C in 2022 and started knocking out her prerequisite courses.

“I’ve always been interested in science, even in my country,” Yousef said. “Courses about the human body and bones and dealing with patients are interesting. I like dealing with people, too.”

She added that taking classes helped her come out of her shell in the U.S.

Things seemed on cruise control until June 2023, when her daughter was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of cancer. Yousef was in her third semester at the College, and that’s when she realized Tri-C had more to offer than what was listed in the course catalog.

“I was worried all the time. I told Elizabeth Gildone, the Radiography program manager, I may not come back. She was very, very supportive. She told me to put my family first,” Yousef said.

Yosef took Gildone’s advice to take a year off from classes. By May 2024, although her daughter was still receiving treatments, the near-constant oncologist visits and hospital stays had slowed, and Yousef was able to return to classes at Tri-C.

When she talks about her experience at the College, the faculty is the first thing she credits with her ability to persist.

“When I took my year off, all my professors offered help and support. When I went back, they were very happy, and they supported me a lot, even emotionally. It’s a big thing for me. I know people care for me and want me to succeed. That really warmed my heart and made me want to go forward,” she said.

She expects to graduate in August 2025. She hopes to get a job at University Hospitals, where she has been doing clinicals.

“If anyone can go to Tri-C, they should. It’s a wonderful College. The instructors treat us like family.”