The Rewards of Surgical Technology
Interested in surgery and the health field since an 8th-grade Grey's Anatomy obsession, SLCC Surgical Tech student Rhyan Carson is well on her way to turning her fandom into a meaningful career, thanks to the Metallica Scholars Initiative. Born and raised in West Jordan, Utah, Ryhan is especially interested in the tools and technology of the trade. After graduation, she wants to pursue a career where she knows she can make a difference in an occupation struggling to find people to work long hours and perform extreme surgeries.
Raised by a single mother, Rhyan understands the value of hard work and making sacrifices. However, being the first person in her family to attend college made it difficult for her to navigate the academic landscape. She found it challenging to choose the right classes, manage her time efficiently, and figure out how to pay for her education.
Rhyan was introduced to the Metallica Scholars Initiative by her teacher when she joined the Surgical Technology program at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC). As soon as she learned about the scholarship, she applied for it. Expressing her gratitude, Rhyan said, “Getting this scholarship was one of the many reasons I have been able to continue pursuing my education.”
Despite juggling work, school, and life outside of both, Rhyan is determined to succeed. The surgical technical program at SLCC is very rigorous, and she spends many hours studying. If you catch her during some rare free time, she will likely be dancing to some beat, a hobby she’s been active in since she was four. She also enjoys watching movies, spending time outdoors, listening to music, or just relaxing with family and friends.
Rhyan acknowledges that taking all these health classes and going through tough tests has been a challenge, but she has enjoyed the path that she has taken. She believes it has made her a better person. She encourages others to take classes that they may have yet to be initially interested in and push themselves out of their comfort zone. This approach has helped her gain new perspectives on various subjects, which she has applied to her daily life. “This mindset helped me make my first couple of semesters better than I imagined,” she said.
Despite the struggles, Rhyan says she would do it all over again. She says participating in the surgical technology program helped her identify her strengths and weaknesses. “It’s been an amazing experience to learn from different classes,” she said. Rhyan is deeply grateful to Metallica and everyone who contributed to it. “Scholarships make paying for school so much easier and relieves a lot of stress,” she said. She cannot stress enough how grateful she is to be a Metallica Scholar.