Dallas College

Student Experience: An Lu, M.D.

Dr. An Lu grew up with no electricity in a small village in Vietnam. Her family chased a better life, coming to the United States in 2003. An was a 14-year-old who spoke no English but she was driven to become a doctor. After graduating in the top ten of her high school class, An landed at Dallas College's Eastfield Campus. At Eastfield, An found the resources necessary to continue her educational journey. She earned her associate degree and then went on to earn a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Arlington and her doctorate from UT Southwestern. Today, An is a pulmonary and critical care physician as well as serving as an assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern.

“Without Dallas College, I would never be where I am today," An said. “That's literally where everything started."

“There are really no words to describe the experience I had at Dallas College. I'm just so grateful for the opportunities that I received at Dallas College and the Eastfield Campus. It was such a positive long-lasting impact." 

“Every time I drive past the Eastfield Campus, I miss my time there. It's not just the classroom, but the experience that they gave me. The people there were so generous and personable. They advocate for all the students regardless of our background or where we come from. Again, I do not think I would be where I am today without Eastfield, its people and the opportunities it offered me."


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Zlatko Prijic, RRT

Pulmonary Rehab Coordinator Baylor University Medical Center
“I think I'd recommend El Centro to anybody, and I always do. If someone wants to go into respiratory or wants to learn more about respiratory, I point them in that direction.”
Respiratory Care Program
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Jose (Josey) George, RCIS, LMRT

Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist Baylor Garland Hospital
“My training and education at El Centro provided me with the knowledge and skills required to perform my job very well as an invasive cardiovascular specialist. The best part of my job is the satisfaction I gain at the end of each day, due to the fact that I’ve made a difference in my patients’ and their families’ lives by being a part of the lifesaving medical team.”
Invasive Cardiovascular Technology

Lupe Ortiz, RRT, NPS

Respiratory Care Practitioner Baylor University Medical Center
“I chose El Centro one, it was closer to home. It was a little more affordable than going to somewhere out of state or somewhere else. Just those two things were, were the main thing, the reason why I chose to go to El Centro. I think El Centro did an excellent job of preparing me for going into the workforce.”
Respiratory Care Program
Margaret Lembcke

Margaret Lembcke

Health Information Associate II, Parkland Health and Hospital System, Dallas and Baylor Medical Center at Irving
“There’s not a thing I don’t use from the information I learned in the Medical Front Office program. The classes did a very good job of teaching skills that we’d really need. We were always learning from people who have worked in the field, not just learned information in a classroom.”
Medical Front Office

An Lu, M.D.
Pulmonologist and Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine
Allied Health Specialty Courses
School of Health Sciences
Updated September 10, 2026