AVONDALE, Arizona – The SouthWest Skill Center (SWSC) at Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) will celebrated the accomplishments of 114 students at their Summer Completion Ceremony on Thursday, June 6, 2013, at 4:00 p.m. at Copper Canyon High School, located in Glendale at 9126 West Camelback Road in Glendale, Arizona.
The ceremony honored and recognized students completing their programs in Emergency Medical Technology, Medical Billing and Coding, Nurse Assistant, Phlebotomy, and Spanish Medical Interpreter.
“The completion ceremony is important to our students, but it’s also important to our staff and faculty,” said center director Tom Cotner. “We are committed to providing the best possible learning experience so that our students feel confident and well-prepared for their new careers, and we enjoy watching our students and their families celebrate this life achievement.”
Based on her accomplishments, Gabriella Perez was selected as the Completion Ceremony’s student speaker, representing 19 of her fellow students successfully completing the Medical Billing and Coding program. Credentials now in hand, Perez says she hopes to work in an OB/GYN office.
She followed her sister in attending EMCC. While there, she says she enjoyed learning new things and meeting new people. She credits her instructors and classmates with making her feel at home on campus.
“Instructors like Susan Stovall always took the time to make sure everyone knew what they were doing,” said Perez. “She always put her all into helping us. No matter what it was, she had an answer, and if she didn't then she would find one.”
Perez attended classes every day, willing to learn and do what was necessary to become certified and achieve her goal. She learned a lot about herself. “If you really put your mind to something, and give it your all, you WILL succeed,” she said. She advises new students to study hard, to put their all into their work, to ask questions, and not to fear failure.
Since 1999, the SouthWest Skill Center has offered short-term job training and career development, specializing in allied health careers. SWSC students completing the PN program have an impressive 90 percent first-time pass rate on the exam leading to LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) designation. For students continuing into the EMCC Registered Nurse transfer program, there is an 84 percent pass rate for the exam leading to their RN license. The Center has been acclaimed for its active learning in a highly technological environment, such as the simulation lab which creates a practicum patient experience for students.