Unconventional journey leads to job with VA
Before starting Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights, Utah, Saidee Allen was outgoing, ambitious, and a straight-A student. After starting high school, however, she struggled with severe anxiety. Saidee took online courses to reduce her hours at school, and midway through her senior year, she had finished all but one core class; however, she was still required to attend school for a minimum number of hours a day and was forced to enroll in additional classes.
Even with work release that allowed her to leave school early daily, Saidee still struggled to balance everything and finish school. “With all these factors weighing down on me, I decided to withdraw from high school less than three months away from graduation,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to walk with my graduating class and, in some people's eyes, would be considered a high school dropout."
That difficult decision, however, ended up being an advantage to Saidee. She enrolled online at Entrada Adult High School and quickly finished that final required core course and graduated two months before her Brighton High School classmates. Two years after graduating, Saidee was diagnosed with ADHD which helped explain many of the struggles she experienced during school. “Looking back, I feel if I had been diagnosed earlier, I could’ve pushed through a lot of those barriers and had a lot more success,” she said.
Years later, Saidee started investigating different careers that involved the human body, a topic she’s been interested in her entire life. However, none of the career paths felt right until she came across SLCC’s Surgical Technology program website one night. “After reading the description and doing my research, I knew that was the career path for me,” she said.
During the program's first semester, Saidee was ecstatic to learn she was awarded the Metallica Scholars Initiative Scholarship. Saidee was a full-time nanny at the time and knew she would need to reduce her hours. “Being awarded the Metallica Scholarship allowed me to continue without the stress and fear of going months without income,” she said.
Since graduating, Saidee has accepted a job offer from the Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah as a surgical technologist in their operating room. “I am super excited for my future career with the VA and the amazing learning opportunities available there,” said Saidee.
When Saidee finished high school, she thought she would never do school again. “It took me six years to go back to begin college courses,” she said. Saidee advises those considering college but may be intimidated, “Even if you think it’s too late or you’ve waited too long, just do it. If I can, you can!"
Saidee expressed her gratitude and appreciation to the band and the Metallica Scholars Initiative Foundation. “Being awarded this scholarship gave me the opportunity to explore and pursue my career as a surgical technologist,” she said. “I will forever be grateful to the band and all the members associated with this foundation, as it has forever changed my life.”