Health sciences students at Carroll County Area Technology Center and iLEAD Academy are stepping into a world of new opportunities with a new healthcare mentoring program. Launched in September in collaboration with Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC), this initiative mirrors the success of the Future 42 program, offering students education and a gateway to their future careers
“We’re hoping this will do the same thing for our health science students as it has done for our Future 42 students,” said ATC Counselor Chad Rose.
The four partners in this project are Gallatin Nursing and Rehabilitation, Baptist Health LaGrange, Carroll County Memorial Hospital and Three Rivers Health District. Students visited with each of the companies during the program launch.
“They are eager to give you an opportunity,” Rose said, encouraging the students to think two years down the road to when they will be ready to begin their careers. “The connections you make in this mentoring program might mean a job for you. Relationships with people are what actually makes things happen.”
It’s a message that resonated with students like Ja’morion Rice, a certified clinical medical assistant student at the ATC. “It was really nice and gave me an idea of what I want to do,” he said
Ja’morion, along with his classmates Lluvia Velazquez and Jimena Sanchez, will begin their mentorships at Baptist Hospital in LaGrange, inching closer to their dreams of working in healthcare. Ja’morion’s goal is to become a nurse or doctor while Lluvia and Jimena see themselves as nurses.
Heather Yocum, director of the JCTC Carrollton Campus, encouraged the students to embrace these opportunities and exposure to the healthcare field. “We want to set you up for success,” she said.
The healthcare mentoring program is more than just an educational experience for these students, it’s a launchpad to a meaningful career and may be the key that opens the door to unlimited possibilities.