When Cece Smith joined Aetna®, a CVS Health® company, she never anticipated she’d be earning a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in health administration in her first five years. Best of all, her education was covered by the CVS Health Tuition Assistance Program and her new skills helped lead to two job promotions within that short time.
What ignited her transformative journey was a CVS Health virtual benefits fair where Cece recalled thinking, “I need to look into this. What can it do for me—and where can I go from here?"
With strong support from her manager, she pursued the degrees while balancing the demands of her full-time job, motherhood, and volunteering at her son’s baseball league. “My son was learning to read at the time,” she explained. “We did our homework together. He’s now in the second grade reading at the third-grade level.
Learning for a better life
As a senior manager supporting patient safety with Medicare Stars data projects, Cece gathers and confirms that internal technical requirements are built and functioning as designed. Her career development, which included project management, empowers her to lead with clarity and strategy, with the goal of improving the Aetna member experience.
“I'm more confident. I've become a subject matter expert in ways I never thought possible,” she explained.
Inspiring others, uplifting her community
Outside of work, Cece puts her new skills to use in her small town of Lamar, South Carolina, which boasts a Piggly Wiggly and a single stoplight. “I use what I learned to help our baseball league save money as treasurer,” she said. “What you give will give back to you.”
And with encouragement from her current manager, Cece continues to grow. She’s currently earning a Google Professional Cloud certification, which is also reimbursed under the Tuition Assistance Program. “My biggest goal is to give my son a better life. That's what drives me.”
Not only that, but two colleagues on her team were so inspired after witnessing Cece’s accomplishments that they are pursuing degrees of their own.
Her advice is simple. “You're going to spend your time doing something. Why not spend your time bettering yourself?”
Health, education and exceptional benefits
At CVS Health, we’re committed to helping our colleagues be the healthiest they can be by offering award-winning benefits and unique resources designed for great people. We understand that by taking care of colleagues and their families, we can collectively enhance the health of those we serve. Additionally, we take pride in supporting our colleagues in their educational pursuits, whether they are seeking job-related degrees, non-degree programs or high school diplomas. To learn more about our benefits and educational support, visit our careers website.
