Akeitha Brown Says Tri-County's MLT Program is Rigorous, Relevant

CONTACT: LISA GARRETT, EXT. 1506

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11/19/2002
(By Lisa Garrett)

ANDERSON --- As a 17-year-old high school senior contemplating her choices for college, three criteria stood out in Akeitha Thompson Brown's mind: close proximity to home, affordable tuition, and a challenging curriculum offering one-on-one interaction with instructors who knew you by name.

As an adolescent she had witnessed her father, Willie Thompson, juggle a swing shift job at BASF and Industrial Mechanics courses at Tri-County Technical College. He praised the College at home and set a good example for his teenage daughter by making the dean's list and serving as a role model. After graduating, he received a promotion.

"I looked at him, and he was successful and disciplined, so I gave it a shot, and it worked out beautifully for me, too. In fact, it was the best decision I ever made," said Brown, a 2001 graduate of the Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) department and a medical laboratory technician in AnMed Health's hematology unit.

Like her father, she worked, while earning her degree. She was the second shift manager of Burger King while attending college during the day.

Later she quit her that job to work at AnMed Health's lab.
From day one she felt at home at the hospital and in Tri-County's MLT department led by Dallas Jones. "I knew it would work -- but only with a lot of hard work and discipline," she said. The curriculum is challenging," added Brown, who skipped the 10th grade, "and I appreciate that."

"The instructors were there when you needed them. They made time for me, and I wouldn't have had that advantage at a four-year college. I wouldn't have gotten that personal touch. They made me feel they care and saw me as a real person trying to make a life and a living," she said.

Brown says she felt confident the first day on the job as a student because of the rigorous and relevant MLT program content. "Tri-County prepared me through hands-on experience, labs and classroom study for my future in the medical lab field."

"I was able to use what I learned in the classroom immediately on the job. I felt confident from day one. I really appreciate the experience as a student. It was a good feeling to have a job that I really enjoyed."

She feels the same today. "I love my job. It's a new experience every day whereby I learn something different. I feel at home here. We're like a family."
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