In September 2010, I had just completed my 4-year review at OHSU. One of my goals for the next year was to look into going back to school. Later that day, I was sitting in my living room folding laundry and in through the mail slot came a postcard from the Warner Pacific Adult Degree Program, so I called. My orientation was Thursday, November 11, and my first night of class was Thursday, November 18, 2010. Everything happened so fast it wasn鈥檛 until February that I realized what I was actually doing; I was fulfilling a dream I had never thought possible.
My main job as a is to provide technical assistance for high quality testing services that support the overall patient care. Everything is automated now days, so most of the time we can just push a button and a machine runs the test. However, every once in a while I need to run special stains on muscle tissue by hand. I make up all of the solutions and if the test works, I know it right away. I love experiencing that instant gratification in my work!
Making the time to go back to school and earn my degree taught me that no matter how hard a job or task is, it鈥檚 important to have a positive attitude, a strong work ethic, and a smile. My experiences in the Adult Degree Program also had a significant impact on my personal life in that my children watched me accomplish a goal. Now they know with a positive attitude, any dream is possible.
One of the greatest ladies I know, Professor Christine Tokonitz, shared these words with me, 鈥溾�elax and breathe, nothing is as bad as it seems. Everything will be just fine.鈥� I live by them every day.
Mark Ballaris
Histologist
Bachelor in Healthcare Administration 鈥�12
