Sep. 9, 2015
This Foundation scholarship will change my life and allow me to stay in a career I love.
I went into radiologic technology at the suggestion of my mother, who is a medical technician. She worked with several R.T.s and saw a great need for what they were doing in the medical field. I already enjoyed math and science, and knew health care was a good field to enter.
After I was certified, I began taking classes to earn a degree, but my employer transferred me to a position that required a lot of on-call hours. With the extra work hours I wasn’t able to continue school. Then, as they say, life happened. I got married and had my four wonderful children.
But I still wanted to go back to school. While I love working with patients and students, my multiple sclerosis makes it physically exhausting. It takes days to recover from the fatigue. I work a float shift to avoid being scheduled consecutive days.
Because my schedule is dependent on my health, income is hard to predict. My husband and I assisted our four children with paying for college. Without full-time hours, I couldn’t afford to go back to school myself.
I learned about ASRT Foundation scholarships through my ASRT emails. The more I learned about the scholarships available, the more motivated I was to return to school. With all but one of our children out of college, and my flexible schedule, it began to seem like the right time to go back.
With the support of my amazing husband I enrolled at Loyola University Chicago. I began courses in their management program, hoping to move into a less physically demanding role in the field. I would like to become a clinical instructor after completing the program. I enjoy working with students and watching them fall in love with the profession.
Last fall I applied for an ASRT Foundation scholarship. I was ecstatic when I heard that I was a scholarship winner. It not only helped ease the financial burden of returning to school, but also let me know others believed I could do it.
Anyone thinking of going back to school or currently in school should apply for a scholarship. Go for your degree and believe in yourself.
I can’t thank the donors who make these scholarships possible enough. Your belief in me helps take some of the burden off my amazing husband. I love working as an R.T. and want to stay in the profession. Your belief in me is inspiring.