Many of our Ross Medical Education Center students and graduates have overcome difficult situations in their lives and come out of them more determined and persevering than before. One of those students is Medical Assistant program graduate Brianna Elders from the Ross campus in Taylor, Michigan. Throughout her life, Brianna has overcome adverse situations and has excelled in life.
Brianna lost her mother when she was only three years old. Her father raised her to have a positive outlook on life and encouraged her to be successful. Because of this training and her own internal determination, she showed great perseverance throughout her educational program. When she began her training as a medical assistant, she was very shy and hesitant about participating in classroom activities. She also struggled with her coursework. However, she did not get discouraged, she studied very hard, and soon her grades improved. She attended class every day, arriving with a positive attitude, excelling in her studies, and was soon receiving outstanding academic awards.
Briana was nominated by her instructors for the Outstanding Student Award through Michigan Association of Career Colleges and Schools (MACCS) because of her perseverance. Although she struggled academically during her first module, she did not give up. She continued to make sure to attend class every day, stayed after class for tutoring with her instructors, and her grades began to improve. Her goal was to achieve outstanding academics and through hard work and determination, she was successful.
Not only did she work hard towards her own success, but she was also a mentor to her fellow students, encouraging them not to give up. Her instructors describe her as being very sweet, caring, and eager to learn. One of the assignments Brianna was asked to complete while she was on her externship was to give a presentation on work ethics. She presented a very creative report during which she told the story of Cinderella who had to be self-motivated to complete the daily tasks that were assigned to her. She was a team player, even though her evil step sisters treated her poorly. Like Cinderella, Brianna has maintained her positive outlook on life even when life hasn’t always seem to treat her fairly. She is excited about the changes she has made in her life and about starting a new career as a medical assistant.
Her instructors, Mrs Barber and Mrs Dominguez, shared that although she started out very shy and timid, as her grades improved her confidence increased, and she began to excel. Briana said, “sometimes life will drag you down and get tough, but you can’t give up. You have to stay positive and not let things get to you.” Her advice for people considering Ross is “never give up on life, just try hard and overcome any situation you are in.” She also states that she feels attendance is most important when attending school. Briana only missed one day of school, due to sickness, throughout her entire training time. After her time at Ross, Briana was hired at Waldinger and Goldsmith Dermatology and is enjoying the opportunity to use her medical assistant skills as she advances her career.