Nine people graduated Friday from UPMC Health Plan’s Freedom House 2.0 program, an initiative that trains people from economically disadvantaged communities as emergency medical technicians and community health workers.

The 10-week program is based on the groundbreaking 1960s Freedom House program, which similarly recruited, trained and employed people for jobs in emergency medicine.

Friday’s graduation ceremony in Pittsburgh’s Hill District marked the fourth Freedom House 2.0 cohort.

“I feel so honored,” said Brandy White of Bellevue, one of Friday’s graduates. “This program opens up doors to so many opportunities. It feels like a dream.”

White said she hopes to serve as an EMT on board Pittsburgh ambulances. She said she’d also like to further her education in the medical field.

“I’m anxious to get out on the trucks,” White said. “My passion is to help people. What better way than to save lives?”

John Moon, an original founder of the Freedom House program, said it was heartwarming to see the program’s legacy live on through the Freedom House 2.0 initiative.

“You’re part of a history,” Moon told the graduates. “You’re part of a legacy.”

Moon said the original program took people who were “labeled as misfits” and considered by society to be “hardcore unemployables,” and gave them an opportunity to do important work in underserved communities.

“In the ’60s, it was really hard for people of color to get service when they needed it,” said Diane Holder, president and CEO of UPMC Health Plan.

“The whole concept of Freedom House was to improve the employment prospects of the Black community,” Moon added.

The program is part of the UPMC Pathways to Work initiative, which the health giant touts as a “comprehensive approach to workforce development and job training” for those in the community who are unemployed or underemployed.

“This class is a clear demonstration of our commitment in this region to making sure that every member of this region has career pathways open and available to them, every member of this region gives back to their communities and every member of this region has an opportunity to succeed,” said Susie Puskar, chief program officer at Partner4Work, which collaborated on the program.

After graduating from the Freedom House 2.0 program last year, Asia Strader was able to get a job as a patient care specialist at UPMC. As a mother of four, she said, completing the 10-week course was challenging, but worth it.

“It’s an amazing program. It gives you all the opportunities and all the tools you need,” she said.

The program also is an inspiration for those who teach it, said Dr. Emily Lovallo, who serves as the medical director for Freedom House 2.0. She said the program made her a better physician and opened her eyes to the challenges that some individuals in the community face.

The next cohort will begin their classes in April.

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