True Colors Shine When You Follow Your Passion

After graduating from high school in 1995, Deshanna Alexander Cross dedicated her services to the U.S. Army. She served as a Supply Specialist during her three-year enlistment, and then joined the U.S. Army Reserves. During the next six years of service, Deshanna became a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), and had a baby. When she returned to civilian life, she worked as a CNA, which she said "was rewarding, but the pay was not quite enough."

Deshanna considered attending nursing school until she discovered the new associate's degree program in Surgical Technology at Brown Mackie College - Merrillville. Working in an operating room (OR) appealed to both her sense of adventure and her natural concern for others, so she immediately enrolled in the associate's degree program.

When Deshanna secured an externship rotation at St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago, Indiana, she did everything possible to maximize her learning experience. It often meant staying late and working on Saturdays. "There was nothing like my externship in the OR," she said, "I loved the hands-on work and being right there in the middle of all the excitement."

After graduating from Brown Mackie College - Merrillville in 2007 with an associate's degree in Surgical Technology, the will and determination she displayed as a student resulted in a full-time Surgical Technologist position at St. Catherine Hospital. Deshanna maintains close ties with Brown Mackie College - Merrillville. She serves as a guide for current Brown Mackie College - Merrillville students as they progress through externship rotations at St. Catherine Hospital. She has been a guest speaker at several Surgical Technology Information Sessions to help prepare students for externship rotations. "I could see how nervous some of them were and I remembered that feeling," she said, "I give them encouragement and an inside look at how to improve their skills in the OR. This is what being a Surgical Technology is all about - teamwork."

Personal Attention, Professional Growth

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