Carerra Family Living Legacy in the Seton Hill PA Program

Between academics and personal life, enrolling in a Physician Assistant program can be challenging, but Seton Hill students have been rising to the occasion since the beginning. Despite the challenges, Seton Hill alumna Kami Carrera was successful in her program and now has a rewarding career as a Physician Assistant. Her daughter Olivia hopes to continue following in her footsteps.

After earning her biology degree from Seton Hill in 2001, Kami joined the PA program with just nine peers. By the time she graduated from the program in 2005, her experience had been anything but ordinary. Not only was she a part of one of the program’s smallest classes ever, but she was also part of just the second master’s class in the program, and she became a new mother the same year she began classes.

When childcare was unavailable, Kami would bring her six-month-old daughter Olivia to classes with her. She remembers Olivia joining labs, study groups, and hang-outs with her classmates. She became a regular in the program at less than a year old.

“...the instructors were always so supportive,” Kami says. “She was like a daughter to all of my classmates as well.”

To this day, the familial warmth she felt from her professors and peers is something she carries with her. The career preparation that her professors provided has also played a role in shaping her career thus far.

“...the instructors were always so supportive,”

Kami recalls getting hands-on experience in physical exam classes and procedure based classes. She says that that experience has translated to her career now in the Gastroenterology/Hepatology Departments at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh.

One professor that made a profound impact on Kami was the late Doctor Bernadette Fondy. She provided guidance to Kami in and out of the classroom.

“I met with her on more than one occasion in my gap year after my bachelor degree when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, Olivia, to help guide me on the right path and that is truly what led me to the PA pathway,” Kami says. “Without her advice and support, I may not be writing this today and Olivia may not be a second generation Seton Hill PA.”

The love for the PA program that Dr. Fondy instilled in Kami lives on in her daughter Olivia.

This fall, Olivia Carrera will enter her clinical year in the Seton Hill Physician Assistant program. The campus’ close-knit community is what initially drew her to Seton Hill, and seeing her mom’s success after graduation helped inform her decision.

Not only did the PA program influence her childhood, but it’s now shaping her adulthood and career.

“Being a second generation PA student at Seton Hill is incredibly meaningful and special to me,”

“One of my earliest memories is my grandma handing me to my mom after her PA school graduation, while she was still in her cap and gown,” Olivia said. “I had the opportunity to witness my mom start her career as a PA. As I go through my own training, I have grown a deeper appreciation for my mom and everything she managed during those years.”

“Being a second generation PA student at Seton Hill is incredibly meaningful and special to me,” she added. “It has deepened my connection and relationship with my mom in a way that a lot of other people do not get to experience.”

Soon, Kami will stand alongside Olivia at her graduation the way they had back in 2005. Whether it is the first or fiftieth year of a program, Seton Hill is dedicated to providing every student with a valuable education and a meaningful student experience.