Empathy, ability to overcome hardships leads to life of service in America

Mamadou Diallo has a lot going on in his life.

Employed as a medication administrator trainer by Prospectus Berco, a Berks County-based nonprofit organization that provides employment opportunities, community living space and other services for people with disabilities, Diallo also puts in extra hours as a certified nursing aide, working in local nursing homes and private residences.

He and his wife, Bintou, have four children between the ages of 21 and 11, all of whom live at home.

Diallo also collects used shoes, clothing, household goods and other items to send to people in Lola, his former village in Guinea, West Africa, and serves as secretary-general of the Guinea Association of Reading.

But when his work supervisor offered him paid enrollment in Penn State Berks’ 18-month practical nursing certificate program, Diallo, 51, knew he couldn’t refuse.

“I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle the program along with everything else, but my mother always told me to get all the education I can, and I always tell my kids how important it is, so I had to do it,” Diallo explained during a recent interview in his Cumru Township, Berks County home. “It was a difficult program, but God bless, I was able to pass it.”

He graduated in December and is preparing to take the National Council Licensure Examination–Practical Nurse, or NCLEX-PN. After successfully completing the exam, Diallo will be a fully licensed practical nurse.

“To me, it’s a continuation of the American Dream that I’ve been working toward since I came to this country,” he said. “Some people don’t believe in that dream anymore, but I do. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it can be done.”

Overcoming Difficulties to Find a Job

Seeking opportunities that were not available in Guinea, Diallo immigrated to the United States in 1999, staying with a friend in Reading as he worked odd jobs while taking English as a Second Language classes at Reading Area Community College (RACC).

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to work unless I learned better English, and I needed a job so I could get enough money to bring my wife to America and help my family back in Guinea,” Diallo said.

With improved language skills, he was hired at Prospectus Berco, where he has worked for 20 years. His wife, who moved from Guinea to Reading two years after Diallo, is also employed there.

A Lot of Empathy

Diallo developed great empathy for people with disabilities as a child, when he befriended a boy who was intellectually disabled.

“He had no one to care for him and had to beg for food,” Diallo recalled. “I saw what he had to do just to get a handful of rice and I wanted to help him.”

His desire to work in a helping profession was heightened further after he graduated from college in Guinea — the first in his family to ever achieve that level of education.

Shortly after Diallo had returned to his village, hoping to get a job there after graduation to help support his family, his mother developed an infection from a boil on her leg and, unable to afford antibiotics that could have saved her, died.

“What happened to my mother has a lot to do with who I am today,” Diallo said, through tears. “I saw a lot of suffering where I grew up and I wanted to make a difference.”

Diallo maintains strong connections to residents of Lola and regularly sends money to help those in need.

“One hundred dollars is a lot of money in my village and two hundred dollars is like a fortune,” he said. “I help because I am the fruit of a community that raised me.”

A Tradition of Education and Service

Diallo plans to keep his job with Prospectus Berks, but hopes to expand his responsibilities to include skills he acquired from the nursing program and clinical experiences he participated in.

“I had that chance to get more education and I want to use what I learned to help even more people,” he said. “I think I’m meant to take care of people who can’t care for themselves.”

Meanwhile, his 21-year-old daughter, Aissata, is a senior nursing student at Alvernia University and his 18-year-old son, Mohamed is attending RACC and also interested in a career in health care. Two other sons, Younoussa, 17, and Alpha, 11, are students in the Gov. Mifflin School District.

“I want all my children to understand how important it is to get the best education they can,” Diallo said. “I learned that from my mother, and I hope they’re learning it from their mother and me. It is good if we can learn and work to help others.”