Joy Walczak of Kent ISD speaks with Ashley Sands, CTE Specialist Health Careers, Kent Career Tech Center and Linda Ford, Instructor, Nurse Tech/Patient Care Tech, Kent Career Tech Center
Joy Walczak (JW): Welcome to the Your Dream is Our Dream podcast where we celebrate student success, one dream at a time. This podcast is made possible by Kent ISD in partnership withWGVU. I'm Joy Walczak and I have with me today Linda Ford, instructor of Nurse Tech/Patient Care Tech at Kent Career Tech Center and also one of her former students, Ashley Sands. Welcome to both of you.
Linda Ford (LF) and Ashley Sands (AS): Thank you.
JW: Thanks so much for being here. We are really excited to share your story, Ashley. Can you tell us when you were a student here and what course you took with Linda Ford?
AS: When I first attended, I was a junior in 2008. And my first program was the Health Career Explorations at that time, and Linda Ford was my instructor.
JW: Fantastic. What did you learn in that program? What was it about?
AS: That was, at that time, just kind of an exploration of health, gave you a little breakdownfrom each different profession, such as nursing, also like the nurse tech roles, things like that.And so to where then you could deep dive a little bit more into your second year of what you liked.
JW: Excellent. Let's go back in our memory a little bit. Linda. Can you share with us what you remember about Ashley as a student?
LF: There are some students that kind of capture your heart and Ashley was one of those. She was a very quick learner. She was fun. She was just smart. She was always, always smiling and just right on. There were some things that she was a little absent minded about sometimes. She would forget her shoes. They couldn't enter the lab without the correct shoes.And so she would forget her shoes. And I remember the shoes specifically for some reason. But otherwise, she was just a fun student to have. And, like I said, there are some students that just really capture you, and she was one of those.
JW: Great. And Ashley, you have your shoes with you today, we're glad to say.
AS: Yes.
JW: But since the time you were here at Kent Career Tech Center, can you tell us where your career has gone from that point?
AS: Yeah, so when I was a senior, I was given the opportunity to have an interview set up with Spectrum Health, which is now Corewell Health. And I was able to have an interview set up as soon as I graduated high school. And I became a phlebotomist in the lab at Spectrum Health there until 2022. But where I grew in phlebotomy and in the lab, I became certified. I also became the educator for the Helen DeVos (Children’s Hospital) where I was able to train the phlebotomists to collect blood on pediatric patients. And then I proceeded into being the educator for all new hires of lab. And then I had the opportunity, opened up for a CTE specialist position here at KCTC within the health programs, especially phlebotomy. So I was then given an amazing opportunity to come back here and help teach students into their future careers.
JW: It's really full circle. That's a terrific thing to happen for you and the students here at KCTC.Linda, how do you feel like your program may have helped Ashley in the direction that she took? And how have these programs at Kent Career Tech Center changed since then?
LF: Well, we've tried to evolve. Our programs have tried to evolve as health care has evolved. For example, we used to have the CNA program here and our students told us that that was not something that they were interested in, and even though there is a huge need out there for CNA, our students wanted to be in the hospital where there are just a ton of changes happening. It's the same thing, the course that I taught has evolved a lot into being the Foundations course. And so we have EMT now and so we keep trying to evolve our programs as healthcare evolves. And so, Ashley coming full circle is just the perfect example of, we are a springboard, we hope, for students.We're a springboard to help them start their careers in healthcare, or wherever they start, you know, with all the programs we have, and then they can find their niche from there, and then they can grow. And that's what we're all about is getting them a foot in the door someplace and letting them see where do they fit and where can they grow both as a person and professionally. And that's what it's all about. And then to come back here and watch Ashley and see who she is now. And Ashley and I had kept in touch over the years, but to see where she is both as a person and as a professional and watch her, she comes into my room now when we're doing phlebotomy and she shows the students, my students, how to draw blood from me and how she teaches them. And it gives me goosebumps every year how she does that with students. And it's so much fun that she's now teaching my students how to do that. And it's just...it's just as great.
LF: And it is funny, a funny story - when she first came back here, she had a hard time calling me by my first name because she was so used to calling me Mrs. Ford. And so, because we're colleagues now and we're both adults, but it was just a fun transition to have happen.
AS. It was very hard (laughter)
JW: Well, that respect goes on and on and I can see that both of you have respect for one another.
JW: Ashley, what do you feel helped really prepare you for the work world that you learned here at KCTC, and maybe even now impart in the students that you serve today?
AS: One thing for sure, KCTC just naturally sets you apart from the rest of your, just, pool of potential employees. And I truly feel like my, my progress, and all the opportunities that I have been given in the lab, truly just were naturally given to me because KCTC instilled just such great characteristics for being a professional. And truly, I still talk to my students, actually, I just said it not too long ago - Mrs. Ford truly, she implemented integrity. So that was one of the biggest things that led me into my department and in healthcare, especially in the lab world, integrity is a huge thing. Just because you're working very independently with a patient, so you're always constantly making sure you're just doing the right thing at all times, especially when no one's around. And that has just immensely gone along not only in my profession, but just in personal life, just KCTC instilling that integrity, that professionalism. The ownership, the respect, and just knowing how to be a good employee, truly just sets you apart from everyone else. And if you just walk the walk, I mean, your opportunities are just truly handed to you. You just gotta do the work. I definitely give praises to KCTC. They gave me my opportunity and where I am today.
LF: And she wears the right shoes.
AS: I do. Closed-toe shoes.
JW: That's a very important step. Those Going-PRO behaviors that we do learn and impart here at Kent Career Tech Center really do carry on in all of our KCTC alumni.And Linda, I would love to ask you, why do you think it's important that we ask our students about their dreams and how we might be able to help them make those dreams come true?
LF: We have to know where we support them and how we can support them. If we don't start with what they need and where they see their vision, then we kind of will miss the mark with that. And so knowing what their dreams are gives us the basis for what they need. And it allows us to approach a studentwith equity instead of equality. And knowing what they need and we can approach each student a little bit differently and support them a little bit differently based on those things.And that's the important piece is meeting a student where they are and then boosting them up from there.
JW: That elevation can really make a difference in a student's life.And Ashley, I have to bring this up. You now have a son who attends KCTC. Tell us about that.
AS: Um, well, I mean, I definitely was encouraging along the way. But my son is a junior, uh, this year. He actually loved playing and cooking in the kitchen since goodness, probably about 10, 11. So he's been a chef Caden, since then. But Culinary has been amazing for him. And, honestly, even just the maturity and the professionalism that has instilled in him for this year has been mind-blowing, to be honest, just the professional, the Going-PRO, being professional, respectful and ownership, I've just have seen instilled in him has just, he's grown immensely with KCTC to where he also just got his first job at a restaurant due to being in KCTC. He shared that once he did his interview, he felt like he didn't have to answer many questions. Once they, he told them he attended KCTC. So it just again, it just shows that KCTC holds so much weight in your career and especially when you are a good student that's engaged and passionate and wanting to learn, it just, you go so much further in life when you when you are that way because then you do have all those opportunities and the support behind you to, you know, get you to where you want to go.
JW: Absolutely. Well, congratulations to your son and also to you on the goals that you've achieved and now being back here at KCTC leading our students. Is there something that you would like to share with the students her, and then also those who might be thinking about a possibility of a career-focused education here at KCTC or in one of our regional outreach programs?
AS: Oh, there, I mean, I could say so many things. I mean, for one thing, don't be afraid to try, especially if it's something that you may not even like. I will say it quickly, I was absolutely terrified of drawing blood. I was the kiddo that got chased around the doctor's office. I was so scared. And I wanted to overcome that fear and I was hesitant on taking that job as a phlebotomist and I'm so glad I did because not only did I overcome my own fear, I was able to create amazing experiences for patients. So don't be afraid to try things that may not sound exciting to you at first. Explore, and even if you find things that you don't like, that's awesome as well, because then at least you can knock some things off your list. But keep trying, don't give up, and sky's the limit. So, you are the only one that kind of brings you to where you can't do things. So you tell yourself you can do it, you can do it.
JW: Absolutely.Linda, how does it feel to you, as an instructor, to hear about Ashley's success?
LF: Oh my gosh, it just makes my heart expand. You know, she's a true success story and we have so many of them out there. We take students into the hospital and I run into former students and it just gives me the chills. I go to some of the colleges around here and I run into former students who are working on things and it just gives me goosebumps. I also run into students who realized that it wasn't for them. And I get just as many goosebumps because they are on the path, because they said, I went to KCTC and I realized, you know, that's not for me. But I was able to realize that before I went down a path that wasn't for me. And I'm happy now, too. And so it just gives them such an eye-opening experience to do that. So it's just so, so, you know, it expands their horizons in so many ways.
JW: Well, thank you both for sharing with us today. And honestly, to both of you for helping our students make their dreams come true. We really appreciate it.
LF: Thank you.
AS: Thank you so much.
JW: And we want to thank everyone for listening today, too. If you know a student who dreams big, we would love a chance to share their story. You can submit your ideas and hear more Your Dream Is Our Dream podcast episodes by going to kentisd.org/yourdream. I'm Joy Walczak. The Your Dream Is Our Dream podcast is made possible by Kent ISD in partnership with WGVU.
