Happy Histotechnology Day to everyone out there in Histoland, whether that be clinical, research, veterinary, industry, or all of the above. Since we are sharing how we all got started in Histotechnology, I remember having a Premed/Biochemistry degree in 1996,(what do you do with that?) shortly thereafter, I fell into Histotechnology by going back to Youngstown State University. All I remember was taking the Medical Technology class in Hematology and waking up after fainting from one of my classmates taking my blood for lab that day (blood counts and hematocrits). I do not know if it was seeing the blood in the tube(my blood- other people's blood doesn't phase me)or the classmate trying to take my blood for over 30 minutes, but I said ew! Blood! The second class was a diagnostic microbiology class and my first gram stain ever. I think that is when I was hooked, I liked staining, I liked everything about Histotechnology so thanks to the good folks at Compunet Clinical Labs, Dayton OH and some very dear angels named Alice Trent, Denise Gerard, Dr. Joan Boyd, Dr. Maria Delost, Dr. Daniel Hood, Dr. Atef Shrit, and Joseph Mistovich. I was off to finish my practical year in 1997-1998. Compunet Clinical Labs gave me the opportunity by paying for my clinical year tuition, room and board, giving me a job after rotation/clinical hours, and a guaranteed position for me for at least two years. I was just 19 at the time. It was an amazing experience and I would not change one thing or one person that I met along the way. Histotechnology has opened the path to me becoming a PA, working at Penn in the IHC/Molecular Pathology department and now at Polysciences, Inc. Not to mention my stent as a travel tech, (thanks Jeanie Nolle who introduced me to the wild and wonderful Alaska). I just received a card and a bouquet from my co workers here at Polysciences, Inc. for my first Histotechnology Day ever, and I would like to thank them and all the people that I have ever crossed paths with in the Histotechnology field, including some of the dearest friends I have ever made along my way here and you know who you are.
Happy Histotechnologists' Day!!!! Sincerely, Valantou Valantou Grover, HT/HTL(ASCP), PA, MBA Biosciences Product Line Manager Polysciences, Inc. 400 Valley Road Warrington, PA 18976 Fax: 1-800-343-3291 Phone number: 1-800-523-2575 X7418 Direct:1-215-488-7418 Cell phone: 1-215-409-8327 _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet