Laboratory medicine was generally not the first career choice for five college students, but once exposed to the field, they blossomed into this year’s American Proficiency Institute (API) scholarship winners.
“We were struck by how many of these students never considered a career in science until they were exposed to the laboratory,” notes Daniel C. Edson, President of API. “Once their passion was discovered, these student scholars have excelled in the medical laboratory science field. We are pleased to support the future of the laboratory profession through these scholarships.”
API awarded $2,000 scholarships to Monique Bembenek, a senior at San Francisco State University; Benjamin Branigan, a senior at Nebraska Methodist Hospital Clinical Laboratory Science Program; Rebecca Matthews, a junior at Virginia Commonwealth University; Casey Penland, a senior at The Colorado Center for Medical Laboratory Science; and Sydney Knapp, a senior at Georgia Regents University.
Awardees discussed their interest in medical laboratory science. “I had very little knowledge of medical technology until I came across the program on the VCU website,” explains Ms. Matthews. “Now, two years later, I am in the most exciting academic semester of my career and loving every minute of it!”
“Ten years ago, I would have described my interest in science to be negligible at best. The mere thought of taking a science class was dreadful,” adds Ms. Bembenek. “Then, I was given a tour of a laboratory and a mini-lesson about clinical laboratory scientists. That laboratory tour changed my life!”
The American Proficiency Institute is a large proficiency testing provider, serving nearly 20,000 laboratories. API offers solutions and technical expertise for the proficiency testing needs of hospital laboratories, physician offices, clinics, and point-of-care testing sites.
Learn more about API at its website
