news&views Winter 2017 | Page 31

“ My heart is warmed and I am honoured to be recognized as someone deserving of these incredible awards .”

Renee Michiel

$ 1,500 ARTA Certificate / Diploma Scholarship I am beyond excited to be working towards the career of my dreams as a dental hygienist . In the future , I plan to practice clinically and one day become involved in dental public health .
I look forward to becoming a more educated and influential role model for my three-year-old son as I finish this last year in the Dental Hygiene Diploma Program . I truly believe that , because I decided to go back to school as a mature student , my story will resonate with the inspirational message that it is never too late to pursue your dreams and that education is invaluable .
This scholarship and bursary are truly a blessing for my family ! Our situation is unique because my husband and son currently live in Medicine Hat while I attend university here in Edmonton . Although they are the most important reason that I am so driven to succeed , being away from them is heartbreaking . The continuous travel and expenses associated with living apart was a huge financial burden that has now been greatly diminished .
It ’ s difficult to put into words how thankful I am to receive this scholarship and bursary .
“ Thank you ever so much for awarding me this scholarship . I am honoured to be a recipient and I really appreciate it .”

Robyn Ramey

$ 1,000 ARTA Certificate / Diploma Scholarship Receiving this scholarship from the Alberta Retired Teachers ’ Association will help me this coming year while I complete my final year of the two-year Combined Laboratory and X-ray Technician ( CLXT ) Program at NAIT . I will be doing an unpaid practicum for forty weeks where I will apply the knowledge I gained in the first year of the CLXT program . This practicum will provide me with hands-on experience , which will assist my employment chances once I receive my diploma .
I am very excited about becoming a fully certified CLXT after I complete this practicum and write the final exam . Then I will be able to start a career that will allow me to help people by assisting doctors to diagnose patients . I will also learn new skills and broaden my knowledge as laboratories are always developing new tests to analyze patient samples . The best part of this career will be the opportunity to work as a member of a team of health care providers whose major goal is to improve patient health . This program can also be used as a stepping-stone to other health care careers such a becoming a medical laboratory technician or medical radiology technician , or finding a career in biomedical engineering technology or magnetic resonance imaging .
news & views WINTER 2017 | 31