“I don’t know how or where to start in sharing my story, but as I just completed a lengthy journey line presentation at work, some of my employees asked me where it started. Where did my path to my current position actually start. Well, it started the day I decided to make a change in my life.
It started the day I entered IOT (at the old campus) for my first introductory course. I recall all of the teachers that I had who made such an impact on me. Beyond the scope of the educational insights, the instructors taught me tenacity, professionalism, and a discipline that not even the nuns at the prestigious Catholic schools I attended could have taught me. After my MA program, I went on to work as a Behavioral Health Technician, then a MA at a Children’s Hospital, followed by a front office manager at a community health center, then to a Clinical Care Supervisor at an academic healthcare system, to where I am now. I am a people leader with Coverage and Reimbursement for the first biotech company in existence. I work for a Forbes 100 company, I travel to New York, Chicago, and internationally for work. I mentor aspiring leaders and am involved with hiring and growing new sites and offices.
I still impact patients through managing my amazing patient-centric teams. None of this would have been possible if I didn’t walk in through those doors and decide to push myself forward. I don’t have an MBA as some of my peers do, but the foundational skills and principles that I acquired through the body of my career, by working my way up have led me to where I am today. I want students to understand that there is so much they can attain than “just” their certificate. It’s never a “just” there is so much more imbedded in the learnings, and so much value within these trade programs. I like to think that I am a success story, and I thank IOT for its existence and for hiring the right instructors who impacted me in the best way possible.”
Nicolette Garcia, PMA, Class of 2011