Two students tell how they found their footing through career training courses at Torrance Adult School
Not long ago, Junella Kato and Irma Perez faced uncertain futures. But after finding and following through with career training programs at Torrance Adult School (TAS), both women are looking forward to exciting new prospects.
“In 2018, my mother took the pharmacy technician program at Torrance Adult School,” Kato says. “After a few years, I asked her about the program because I felt lost, so she recommended I take the course to get my foot in the door for the medical field.”
Kato enrolled in the same program her mother took earlier, which is one of three allied health (or medical) Career Technical Education programs offered at TAS (medical assistant and medical billing and coding courses are also available). At first—like many new adult students—she had some trepidation about returning to school and trying something new.
“The program itself was no walk in the park, but Mrs. Wang made the whole program so tolerable. She’s the kind of professor you wish you had in your college. With many years of experience and knowledge under her belt, she made sure you learned everything you needed to become a successful pharmacy technician and more.”
Junella Kato, Pharmacy Technician
“Coming into this program with little to no knowledge was a bit nerve-wracking. I questioned myself, ‘Am I able to do this? Can I pass the program with ease?’” she says.
But after starting classes, Kato says she found the inspiration and support she needed to face up to the challenge from her instructor, Leticia Wang.
“The program itself was no walk in the park, but Mrs. Wang made the whole program so tolerable. She’s the kind of professor you wish you had in your college. With many years of experience and knowledge under her belt, she made sure you learned everything you needed to become a successful pharmacy technician and more.
“She’s so patient and very understanding,” Kato continued about Wang. “Her beautiful story of how she got to where she is now gave me so much courage and motivation to pursue becoming a registered nurse.”
Now that she’s completed the program, Kato says she’s ready to tackle a new job, which she also found with a little help from the adult school: “Recently, I attended the TAS Medical Job Fair and Hiring Event and was hired by Rx Relief on the spot for a pharmacy tech position at Kaiser South Bay.”
Perez followed a different CTE direction upon enrolling at TAS: “My path began about a year ago,” she says. “I decided to go back to school to get accounting classes.”
Perez says she took courses—and achieved certification in—accounting, Quickbooks, and medical terminology in the Winter 2024 term. “I also took the Intuit QuickBooks Online Certified User Exam at Levy Adult School and passed with a high score of 936/1000,” she says.
She is currently taking an Excel class and is preparing to take a Microsoft Office Specialist examination. Her ultimate goal at the school is to obtain her Financial Operations Program Certification.
“I really enjoy being at this school and I also like the teachers,” Perez says of her TAS experience.
She offered a bit of advice to anyone who might be looking for a change in life, or considering new educational and career paths: “If you want to do something with your life, remember it’s never too late.”
For more information on how Torrance Adult School can help you achieve your goals, visit www.tusd.org/tas or call 310-533-4689.
Written by Ken Smith
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| South Coast California | Careers in Health Care |
