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Dallas College

Mathew Joseph

“I am from India, and I worked for nine years in the Middle East in IT. In 2006, I moved to the U.S. with my family and realized that IT jobs are moving out of the country. Since my wife is an operating room nurse and has been happy in her profession for the last 12 years, I also decided to switch my profession to a health care field. I opted for surgical technology as its demand in the job market is growing very high. 

“I entered the Surgical Technologist program at El Centro and really enjoyed the lectures from experienced teachers and the work in the well-maintained lab. It was also a wonderful experience doing my clinicals at Baylor and Parkland hospitals.

“I got good exposure to various specialties during my clinical at Parkland. Since Parkland is a teaching hospital, all their staff are experienced at teaching and explaining things, and it is a good place for students to do a clinical rotation. I learned a lot and developed a lot of confidence in my job skills. 

“I earned the certificate with good grades and was well prepared for the certified surgical technologist examination, which I passed in September 2008.”  Mathew Joseph earned a Surgical Technologist certificate from El Centro. He has been in his current position since November 2008.


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Kim Nguyen

Oanh Kim Nguyen, MLT(ASCP)

Medical Laboratory Technician Methodist Medical Center of Dallas
“My first experience at community college was taking ESL classes at Richland and Brookhaven, which were close to where I lived. Then when I started exploring what kind of program I wanted to take for a career change, I saw Medical Laboratory Technology and transferred to El Centro ... I always tell people who are thinking about community college to think about Medical Laboratory Technology, and I tell them about my personal experience with the program. It’s a stable job, in a quiet environment with a lot less stress than many other medically related fields, and the people are very friendly and professional. I really love my job.”
English as a Second Language (ESL and ESOL), Medical Laboratory Technology
Dolores Schueler

Dolores (Dee) Schueler, BSN, LVN, RN, CRNI

Director of Nurses USBioservices
“Our instructors had high expectations and saw our potential. They let us know that it wasn’t going to be easy, but it wasn’t going to be insurmountable either.”
Nursing
Sylvia Moreno

Sylvia Moreno, BSN, RN

Director of HIV Services Parkland Hospital of Dallas
“Community college gave me everything I needed to take and succeed in classes for an advanced degree.”
Nursing
Shawn Terry

Shawn Terry, B.A., RRT, RCP

Respiratory Care Practitioner, Parkland Health and Hospital System
“Respiratory therapists are not just technicians trained to deliver treatments and therapies with different types of equipment. We have to truly comprehend a wide range of topics and how they relate to a patient’s condition.”
Respiratory Care Program

Mathew Joseph
Certified Surgical Technologist Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas
Surgical Technologist
School of Health Sciences
Updated November 25, 2025