Deciding on a college can be an intimidating process for some. For Katie Malone, this process was rather easy…. the second time around. Like many of the students at West Virginia Junior College, Katie attended a different college prior to enrolling at WVJC. She enrolled at Westmoreland Community College, where she studied English. After two years at Westmoreland, she decided to call it quits. “They didn’t care about their students. Outside of class I never talked to my professors.”
Katie decided to take a few years off, where she worked odd jobs, one of them being a receptionist job. After having a conversation with her mom who is a Registered Nurse, she decided she wanted to go back to school to study for a career in the medical field. When looking at schools this time around, Katie decided she wanted something more personalized. She found that at WVJC. “I was uncertain about going back at first. I didn’t want something like my previous college, but everyone [at WVJC] was so welcoming. It’s very personal and I knew after visiting just once that this was where I wanted to go.”
Katie started out in WVJC’s Medical Coding program. After talking with the Medical Coding program director Kacey Eagle, she decided she wanted to change lanes a bit and complete the Medical Office Administration program first, and then transition into the Medical Coding program. When asked what her favorite part of attending WVJC was, Katie said, “Well, I have a few favorite things. I love learning and so far I have learned many new interesting things. Most importantly, I love the interactions I have with my teachers and my classmates.”
When asked who her favorite teacher is, she laughed and said:
“Well, I want to give credit to a few particular ones. First would be Kacey Eagle. She changed my life. Kacey went out of her way, and actually got me my current job at the library. Second would be Lisa Frank. Lisa taught my english classes, and she believed in me when I doubted myself.”
Katie is very thankful for WVJC. “If you would have told me a year ago I would be this happy, I would not have believed you.”