Medical Assisting Graduate Returns to Shreveport Campus as a Community Leader

Contributed by Adrian Crawford, Campus Librarian

L to R: Sheron Raymond, Department Chair Clark Riser, Rhoshandra Mackey.

Remington College Medical Assisting program graduate Rhoshandra Mackey visited our Shreveport Campus on February 21, 2012, as a representative for the Northwest Louisiana Lions Eye Bank.

Ms. Mackey is now a Donor Coordinator/Donor Tech for the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA). She, along with her colleague Sheron Raymond, the Community Educator for LOPA, visited several classrooms to raise awareness of the need for organ donors.

Ms. Mackey spoke with the students about her role as a Donor Coordinator and Tech. Students were fascinated as she described the process of collecting donors’ corneas at the morgue.

Ms. Mackey graduated from Remington College in the Fall of 2011 with honors. She is also a graduate member of the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS).

One of her former instructors, Brandi Ports, commented on how determined Ms. Mackey was during her time as a student at Remington College. Ms. Ports stated, “When Rhoshandra started, she had been through some pretty difficult circumstances. She had no child care, but she was determined to come to class every day, so she relied on someone she had not known very long to watch her children. This arrangement did not last as long as she needed it to, and Rhoshandra felt like she would have to drop out of school because she had no choice, as she initially could not find anyone to care for her children while she was away at school. She forged on and made arrangements for childcare somehow, kept her GPA up, and ultimately achieved her goal of graduating. She has an ever-positive personality and was always encouraging to her classmates. We are proud of her and what she has accomplished through her determination and hard work.”

When asked what advice she would give to future graduates of Remington College, Ms. Mackey replied, “Always think about your future and your children. I knew I didn’t want to be ‘singing the same song,’ so to speak. You just have to keep going and never give up.”

Ms. Mackey credited our Shreveport Career Services team for giving her the job lead that led to her current role. She is a marvelous example of what can happen when you make up your mind to accept the challenge, change your circumstances, and stay determined to succeed.