My name is Michelle Carney and as of August 30, 2013, I am a Genesis Career College graduate! My journey wasn’t easy at all. I worked in a pharmacy, and I fell in love with my job; this led me to pursuing pharmacy tech as a career.
The Decision to Go Back to School
My fiancé Corey was the reason I decided to go back to school. He had more faith in me than I did in myself. I called Genesis set up an appointment and meet with my financial advisor. My admissions officer and my financial aid advisor helped me get set up with classes and financial aid. When I first got started with school, my life was in shambles. I was in the process of finalizing a divorce and I’d made a sacrifice to give my children up because I was in an abusive relationship at the time. My children were (and are) more important to me than anything. Their safety was all I cared about. I was miserable, but my fiancé told me to go back to school; he promised to support me the entire time, and he did.
Pursuing My Dream
Every morning he would tell me how smart I am and that he was so proud of me. The encouragement I was receiving at home was echoed at school. Mrs. Linda Macrea was my first teacher and she made it so fun to be at school. There were days when things were hard, and at one point I told her that I wanted to quit school. She told me to take the day and think about what I was saying, and that I’d come too far to give up now. She cared enough about me to help me see what I was doing, and she has no idea how much that meant to me.
My second teacher was Mr. Ryan Tant. Not only was he great at instructing, but he made sure that I was tested to my full potential. He made me work hard to earn my certification and helped me to know that, even though I was nervous, I could pass my pharmacy tech certification test. My graduation day was the most precious moment in my life, knowing that my fiancé and my teachers had so much faith in me. Before I started school, I was always told that I wasn’t good enough, and people treated me like I was nothing. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was on top of the world. No matter how bad my life was, I knew on that day I had reached my dream.
Achieving My Goals
Then in September 2013, I took my certification test and on my first try I passed. I couldn’t believe it! I started crying because I was so amazed at myself. Now I have a full time job at the same pharmacy where I completed my externship. When I started my externship I hated it. It didn’t feel like a good fit, so I went to Mr. Ryan and Mrs. Linda to see if I could switch, but they wouldn’t let me. I am so glad they didn’t! I worked so hard that the supervisor at my extern site wanted to keep me there after graduation. I was unsure, but knew that pharmacy tech is the career for me. A few months ago, my supervisor from my extern site contacted me and asked me if I was looking for a job. I excitedly told her yes! Now I am a certified pharmacy tech at Promise 2care Pharmacy. I would like to thank everyone at Genesis Career College, for helping me make my dreams come true.