For Immediate Release
Contact: Brianna Williamson, Recruiter/Alumni & Development Specialist
Phone: 608.822.2483
Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809
Date of Release: June 3, 2022
Alumni Spotlight: Reo & Sammi Bossert
Fennimore -Sammi and Reo Bossert, sisters from Mineral Point, Wisconsin, chased their dreams of becoming medical laboratory technicians by attending Southwest Wisconsin Technical College’s Medical Laboratory Technician program. Although they attended college four years apart, Reo graduating in Spring 2018 and Sammi in Spring 2022, the sisters will soon be working together at Upland Hills in Dodgeville, Wisconsin.
Sammi and Reo Bossert
Being the first in the family to attend Southwest Tech, Reo initially enrolled in Southwest Tech’s University Transfer Liberal Arts program. During her first year of college she expressed to her advisor an interest to work in healthcare. After deciding that being a nurse or doctor wasn’t of interest, her advisor explained the Medical Laboratory Technician program and Reo transferred the following semester. She graduated from the program in Spring 2018 and immediately entered the workforce. After a few months of work, she decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Medical Laboratory Science from the University of Cincinnati Online and graduated in August 2021. Reo said her favorite part of the job is, “getting to see things from start to finish, but behind-the-scenes. I enjoy correlating all of the patient symptoms all the way through to diagnosis and treatment.”
Reo’s advice for anyone considering a career in Medical Lab Tech would be to job shadow before entering a program. Reo stated, “I think a lot of people go in and don’t realize how much information they’re expected to learn. If you don’t have the passion for learning it, it won’t work out.”
Taking her older sister’s advice, Sammi shadowed Reo her junior year of high school and really enjoyed it. “I fell in love with the job and couldn’t wait to pursue my degree,” stated Sammi. Her choice to attend Southwest Tech’s program was influenced by a number of things. “Affordability as well as the graduate success statistics were what drew me to Southwest Tech. Seeing on the website that the graduates have a lot of good experience and a successful board passing rate made my decision easy,” stated Sammi.
When asked if they had any advice to someone who is considering Southwest Tech, Sammi said, “you really can’t go wrong in choosing Southwest Tech. It’s a really affordable choice and there’s always room for opportunity and growth.” What they enjoyed particularly about Southwest Tech’s Medical Laboratory Technician program, however, was “the different ages of my classmates and the perspectives they had to offer,” said Sammi. Reo stated, “the small class size made it easier for me to learn. I also was really impressed with the amount of instrumentation in the classroom. It was really nice to get the hands-on learning experience.”
| Southwest Wisconsin Technical College is one of 16 institutions that comprise the Wisconsin Technical College System. Southwest Tech offers more than 60 programs in a wide variety of disciplines. Courses are offered on campus, online and in a blended format. The college provides apprenticeship, certificate, technical diploma, and associate degree programs that respond to district workforce needs and prepare student for family-sustaining jobs and career advancement. |