Student Spotlight – Meet Taylor Martin

We’d like to introduce you to Taylor, a student in our Medical Assisting program at our Carrington College Mesquite, TX campus. Taylor started the certificate program in September last year, and hopes to graduate this July.

Taylor, aged 19, and her fiancé Brian have a 2 year old son – Rilyn; Taylor and Brian plan to get married in the spring of 2014. Taylor lives in Quinlan, TX, a small town about 45 miles east of Mesquite, which means a 90 mile round-trip drive to school five days a week. But as she nears graduation, Taylor explains that all the miles and all the hard work has been worth it to fulfill her dream.

“Since I was little I’ve always wanted to be in the medical field; I just didn’t know what I wanted to do exactly. I did think about nursing at first, but nursing school is kind of out of reach for me at this point with a 2 year old son.”

However, Taylor has not dismissed the idea of a nursing career – far from it. It’s just that the time wasn’t right for her now.

“I figured Medical Assisting would be a good place to start my medical career, like a stepping stone you could say. I really love helping people, so I thought Medical Assisting would be a good choice. After I graduate I plan to work as a medical assistant for two to three years, but then I really want to go back to school. Once Rilyn is a little older I’ll have the time to go to nursing school, work, and take care of him. I really still want to be an RN [Registered Nurse].

Taylor researched a couple of schools when considering her college options, but she decided on Carrington after taking a tour.

“I just loved the atmosphere on campus, the school was really nice and the enrollment people helped me with whatever I needed. The staff was caring and concerned, they were just awesome people. It also helped that Carrington was a lot closer to my home town.”

Taylor has learned a lot about herself during her eight months on campus, in fact she feels like a new person. She credits her instructors for a lot of her personal growth.

“Our instructors make us do presentations; they don’t let us hide in a corner. They try to get a feel for everybody, to get to know everybody, to help us get to know ourselves. And I think that helped me a lot – actually having to do it. It’s easy to try to stay in the shadows, but they don’t let you.

We have break-out classes on Tuesdays; they’re really useful for learning more about yourself and how to deal with certain situations. I’ve learned how to manage my time and my stress levels, and how to become a better communicator. I’m a completely different person from when I started – I was so shy but now I can get up and present in front of anybody.”

Taylor has had to work through personal heartbreak during her time with us; she tragically lost her mom in December last year. Through all the pain of losing her mother at such a young age, Taylor somehow managed to keep her focus and a clear sense of purpose – just as her mom would have wanted.

“It was the last day before the Christmas break, so I had two weeks off anyway as school was closed. I took those two weeks to get myself back together, and I went back when school started again in January. My fiancé Brian, my dad, and my sister were my support network at home, but all my classmates and my instructors were there for me throughout everything.

My classmates were amazing – six or seven of them even came to my mom’s service, and I thought that was very sweet. They didn’t have to do that; I’d only known them for three or four months and they took the time to come and support me in a time of need. I figured it would be better for me to be back at school with people that really cared about me, rather than be at home alone just thinking about it.”

Taylor is a pleasure to have on campus and as Kimberley Morgan-Thompson, a Student Services Consultant at our Mesquite campus, put it – she is ‘more than the ideal student’. Kimberly went on to say…

“I have had the distinct pleasure of having Taylor Martin as a student. She has demonstrated outstanding leadership, worked diligently and has been successful at fulfilling the academic requirements of her core and professional courses, while balancing her role as a student ambassador and mother of a toddler. Her overall grade point average is currently 3.98.

Taylor’s eagerness to uphold the mission and values of the campus, promote awareness of the academics, activities, and student life, as well as maintain the highest standards of personal and professional conduct, has been most admirable. Taylor is an outstanding student and has received many perfect attendance and academic excellence awards. She has developed a strong sense of confidence with a charming attitude.” 

A clue to Taylor’s outstanding commitment is that her 3.98 grade point average is a disappointment for her.

“I’ve kept a 4.0 GPA throughout my schooling until this last mod. I missed it by 1.1 point. I was kind of devastated – I wanted to cry. I told them it had to be some kind of clerical error!”

As for her future career, Taylor is really focused on her externship and then her graduation ceremony on July 26, but she does have a plan in place.

“I really want to work in an OB-GYN office to start; that’s my goal…to work as a medical assistant in that kind of setting. But in a few years, once I have my RN degree, I’m thinking maybe the Emergency Room. But honestly I haven’t really thought that far ahead. I’m not working at the moment; I’m just going to school and being a mom! I’ve got enough on my plate right now!”

As for her time at Carrington, Taylor hasn’t really had too much time to reflect – it’s been a crazy eight months and she still has a couple of important months to go. But she does have some words of advice for anyone considering college who has yet to pick a school.

“The Enrollment Services people are really good at getting things going for you when you decide you want to start school. And then when you start you’ll find that the staff and the instructors are amazing; they help you with anything you need or anything you want.

I think Carrington would be a very good choice, all the staff are very nice; they do whatever they can to help and support you. If you’re going through a hard time, they’ll work with you and help you find a schedule that works for your situation.”

Thank you for your time Taylor; good luck on your externship and with your graduation – you’ve earned it. Your story and your dedication in the face of personal adversity are truly inspiring, and we wish you and your family all the best for the future.

For comprehensive consumer information on our programs, please visit carrington.edu

Program availability varies by location.