West-MEC is an important program for high school students here at Greenway because it offers specialized career and education that prepares them for the future. By providing hands-on training in various fields such as: healthcare, technology, and much more; students gain practical skills that are highly valued by employers. We asked some students about what they think of this program, including both students that are a part of West-MEC and those who plan to join in future years.
“I joined the Medical Assisting program at West-MEC because I plan to become a nurse practitioner in the future. In this program, I’ve learned to give injections and perform vital signs—height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and temperature—which gives me real, hands-on experience in patient care. I chose to focus on West-MEC now instead of waiting for college because it’s an incredibly affordable way to learn and explore different specialized fields within the medical career while I’m still in high school. It saves me time and money compared to taking these courses in college, and it’s already helped me build confidence and improve my communication skills with patients and healthcare professionals.” Said senior, Eliana Peña.
“I joined the Veterinary Science program hoping to one day become a Doctor and help animals for a living. I chose to take this program now instead of waiting for college because I wanted to get an insight of the Veterinary field. I also wanted to know if I actually wanted to pursue this field instead of finding out later that I wouldn’t later in life. During my internship, as a Veterinary Assistant, I can confirm that this is something I would like to do.” Said senior, Nadya Marquez.
“The program I decided to join at West-MEC was the Veterinary Science Program. I chose this program because I’m able to become a Certified Veterinary Assistant (CVT) after the two year program. Once I graduate from Greenway and from my West-MEC program, I want to go to University of Arizona to join their Veterinary Science program there and graduate from their Vet school and become a Specialist Veterinary Technician. I chose to do this now because my program is teaching me the basics of Animal anatomy and science, which then can help me better understand once I go to college.” Said junior, Camila Borquez Moreno.
“I joined the welding program at West-MEC and I want to try to do some underwater welding at some point in the future. I chose to focus on this because it’s something I can do right away after high school and it’s only 2 years as well as it could help me pay for college, it’s also a lot cheaper then doing college/doing West-MEC outside of high school.” Said junior, kriz Periut Diaz.
“I chose to do Aesthetics because I feel like skincare is a major impact to our healthy lifestyle and I also love to be involved with anything makeup or getting ready. Makeup is another side passion that I have but I felt the need to get to know what comes before, so I went with Aesthetics because this program will help me get closer to what I’m striving for when I graduate high school. Though my passion lies with music and becoming a music producer, going into West-MEC is a great example that I have no limit to what I want to do in the future.” Said junior, Jessica Velasco Lopez.
We also asked some teachers for their opinion on West-MEC too, Mr. M said, “I think West-MEC is great! There are so many different programs available now! Not every high scholar goes to college anymore, and not every high scholar needs to go to college. With certification programs through West-MEC, so many opportunities are available to students to ready themselves for a solid job and career right out of high school, avoiding huge debt from college and trade schools. I wish there was a way to get freshmen to see the value of this program sooner. It can be competitive to get into, and many students hurt themselves before they even realize it with low grades and behavior issues their freshmen and sophomore years. I talk about West-MEC every year in all my classes.”
“I think West-MEC is a really great program! They offer so many different career and workforce learning opportunities for students! It’s such a crucial program to these hard-working students who want to get a head start and prepare for their future careers.” Said Ms. Ferguson.
To sum up everything that has been said, West-MEC is a great program for students who want to get ahead because it offers that same specialized career and education they would be receiving in college. By providing hands-on training in various fields such as: healthcare, technology, and much more; students gain practical skills that are highly valued by employers.
