"When my cousin told me about her job as a surgical technologist, I thought it sounded like a really cool way to make a living. I began to wonder if a job in health care might be for me. One day, while watching Grey’s Anatomy, I decided to take the plunge.  

I still wasn’t 100% sure if the field was right for me, so I decided to start out as a phlebotomist. I did all kinds of research, curious about what type of education I’d need, how long it would take and what the job outlook was. 

"When I was in the sixth grade, my grandfather was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and that really made me think about a career in health care. I wanted to know everything I could about cancer and about the medicine they were giving him. When he neared the end of his journey and hospice came in, I was intrigued by the dying process and inspired by the nurses who took care of him.

"The idea of working in health care never occurred to me until my mother went to nursing school in her late 40s. I was in my early 20s and had dropped out of college. I wanted a better life for myself, but had no idea what I wanted to do.

When my mom took a job at a local hospital, she heard about a program there that provided tuition assistance for respiratory therapy students and encouraged me to apply. I figured, why not? I like science and helping people. That was more than 20 years ago.

"Growing up with a lot of family members who worked in the medical field, I knew that was the path I wanted to pursue. I wasn’t sure what job I wanted exactly until my dad became a nurse. He was proof that the idea of nursing being exclusively for women was a false stereotype. Seeing my dad as a nurse sparked my interest and inspired me to do the same thing. 

"I had been working in social services for about 15 years when I decided it was time to do something different. I didn’t feel like I was fulfilling my dream of truly helping others. My neighbor, a registered nurse at Stormont Vail, suggested I think about going back to school for nursing and invited me to volunteer for her to see if it was something I was interested in.

"I first became interested in working in emergency services as a child. My stepfather was a law enforcement officer and volunteer firefighter, and every once in a while he’d let me go on calls with him. I loved the idea of fighting fires and helping people.

"As a child, I wanted to be a veterinarian because I love animals, but I first became interested in dental hygiene when I attended a career fair during my junior year of high school. I loved that this career would allow me to provide service to the public and would accommodate the type of life I wanted outside of work.