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WTI Wichita
Loraine Foster: Going Places
Lorraine Foster's inspiration for becoming a medical assistant was personal. Thirteen years of caring for her mother, she realized a passion for patient care. After her mother's passing, Lorraine worked as a retail clerk, but she found herself longing for work that was more rewarding.
"My husband was supportive of me going back to school," she said. Five days after quitting her retail job, she saw a WTI TV spot and interviewed there the same day. The school was preparing to launch its Medical Assistant program. "The lady asked if I could start school on Monday and before I could say anything, my husband said, 'Yes.'"
As she studied, Lorraine served extern ships at the private practice of Dr. Jesus T. Suero at the McConnell Air Force Base hospital. In September 2006, while still in school, she took a job with Dr. Suero's office. Today Lorraine is a proud graduate of the WTI medical assistant program.
With her newfound career, Lorraine is now embarking on a new chapter. This summer she and her husband will move to Georgia to be near his family. Since she passed the national certification exam by the American Medical Technologists, Lorraine is a Registered Medical Assistant, a nationally recognized designation.
With her new career training and her move to Georgia, Lorraine is literally going places!
WTI Joplin
Valissa Mays: Persistence Pays
H. Ross Perot once said, most people give up just when they're about to achieve success, they quit on the one yard line, one foot from a winning touchdown. Valissa Mays is not one of those people.
Like many WTI students, her dream to train for a new career has been complicated with the challenges of being a wife, a mother and working outside the home. As if that were not enough, this past January, with only a few months left of school, her family's home was damaged by fire. Her books and uniform were lost, along with homework and study materials. As the home was being rebuilt, Valissa and her family spent the first 5 months of 2007 commuting back and forth to live with family in Kansas and Oklahoma. Through it all, Valissa never waivered in her academic commitment.
"It was stressful, but the school worked with me," she says. With borrowed books and additional support from instructors, she was able to finish her coursework. Three days before the end of her extern ship at St. John's Express Care, Valissa was offered a job there.
Valissa's last week of school was also the family’s first week back in their newly rebuilt home. "If you like caring for others, it's definitely worth the time and effort. Even my kids are proud of me."
Being a husband and father of three, Charles Phillips had many priorities to juggle when he began attending WTI Topeka last year. Charles credits his wife Cherise for keeping him on track as he achieved all of his certifications and licenses, academic honors and perfect attendance. "My wife was always reminding me of my obligations, helping me stay focused on what I needed to accomplish that day," he says. Charles feels fortunate in his family life, but with two disabled family members and their special needs, each day brings unique challenges.
The hands-on training he received at WTI gives him a sense of confidence in his work as a Tech 1 at Northrop Grumman. Now Charles has decided to go on for his Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. Through his experience at Northrop Grumman he aspires to become a spec engineer.
"WTI Topeka was a great experience. I have high hopes for my future and it's comforting to know that I have a solid foundation." As a testimony to Charles' success, his father-in-law has enrolled at WTI in the fall.
WTI Joplin
Seth Barstow is proud of his success. Since graduating from WTI Joplin in July he has gone to work full-time at La Barge Inc. where he worked part-time while earning his Electronics Technology diploma. Now with upgraded job skills, a solid career path and a new wife, life is good for Seth. He admits, it wasn't always that way.
Seth's current success is a stark contrast to past struggles. He had been to college and other vocational schools. He had experienced a job firing. Nothing seemed to be working out, until one day when his mother saw a WTI television commercial. Seth decided to check it out, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"I had the opportunity to go to either day or evening classes," he says."The instructors did a great job. They've been a big help." Seth also liked the hands-on training he received. "We worked in the lab a lot and built our own electronic trainers."
At his July 2005 graduation, Seth was recognized for near-perfect attendance and presented with a Letter of Excellence. His success shows the power of perseverance.
Seth Barstow is proud of his success. Since graduating from WTI Joplin in July he has gone to work full-time at La Barge Inc. where he worked part-time while earning his Electronics Technology diploma. Now with upgraded job skills, a solid career path and a new wife, life is good for Seth. He admits, it wasn't always that way. Seth's current success is a stark contrast to past struggles. He had been to college and other vocational schools. He had experienced a job firing. Nothing seemed to be working out, until one day when his mother saw a WTI television commercial. Seth decided to check it out, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"I had the opportunity to go to either day or evening classes," he says."The instructors did a great job. They've been a big help." Seth also liked the hands-on training he received. "We worked in the lab a lot and built our own electronic trainers."
At his July 2005 graduation, Seth was recognized for near-perfect attendance and presented with a Letter of Excellence. His success shows the power of perseverance.
It was a great day when Yvonne Schroeder graduated from WTI with her Electronics Technology diploma, a perfect attendance award, a Letter of Excellence and Honor Roll awards for each of her five quarters. She had not only proven to herself that she could do it, Yvonne had also set an example for her teenagers."I wanted them to see that if mom can do it, so can they."
Yvonne faced a few challenges as she tackled her studies. She had worried that the mathematics would be a problem, something that had kept her out of nursing school years earlier. She also worried about juggling the demands of home, kids and marriage. As it turns out, Yvonne was able to meet her demands with distinction.
Today she works at Honeywell as an avionics technician, a job that combines her love for the mechanical with her problem-solving skills. It's a job she worked hard to land, putting her resume online for numerous postings until she finally found a match. Yvonne's success is proof of how we can overcome obstacles to achieve our dreams.
