Achievement & Purpose: Start Your Trocaire Story

ACHIEVEMENT & PURPOSE

4ACHIEVEMENT
& PURPOSE
STORIES
For more than 60 years, students have come to Trocaire College seeking
the career education, theoretical knowledge and real-world clinical
experience they need to succeed. They also find plenty of support from
their instructors and peers, as well as a culture of self-discovery, dignity
and professionalism.
1Lisa M. Pease ’18
Surgical Technician
They emerge as skilled professionals, ready to not only change their
lives, but also the lives of everyone around them.
Over the next few pages, you’ll get to know four of our alumni. Each
journey is completely unique. Yet two things form a common thread: a
desire to care for others and for the place that helped make that goal
possible, Trocaire.

3
2 4
Ky Ly ’17
Application Programmer
Analyst
Jenna Kendzierski ’19
Cardiac Sonographer
Kittrella Whitlock ’20
Nurse

1
Lisa
M. Pease ’18
Surgical Technician
On the way home from her 30th birthday party, Lisa Pease’s
husband asked if she had any regrets.
“I should have been a nurse,” was her reply.
Within days of making this statement, Lisa would find herself
taking the entrance exam to start classes at Trocaire.
I LOVE
EVERY DAY
I GO TO
WORK
She was anything but a traditional student. For the
past 13 years, she’d built a successful career as a
hairdresser. But Lisa couldn’t help feeling she was
drawn to a different path. Fortunately, she discovered
that no matter the obstacle or challenge, there was
always someone at Trocaire ready to support her.
“Everyone I came in contact with, from my advisors
and teachers to even the women who worked at the
bookstore, was there to help,” said Lisa. “Being an
older student, my time was precious. But I never had
to struggle to find a resource.”
While she started in the Radiologic Technology program,
she eventually found her way to the Surgical Technology
program. After worrying about losing an entire year of
hard work, she got great advice from an instructor.
“No knowledge is wasted knowledge.” This gave her the
confidence she needed to succeed.
She discovered that she loved the hands-on portion of
her education. “When I did my first procedure, it was
one of the most thrilling moments of my life. That’s
when I realized that coming to Trocaire was one of the
best decisions I’ve ever made.”
As a surgical technologist, Lisa assists in numerous
surgeries every day, including orthopedics, podiatry,
nose and throat, and plastic surgery. “Being in
healthcare has more than lived up to my dreams.
There’s never a day where I don’t learn something
new. It’s still exciting for me.”

I love every day I go to work.
There’s never a day where I
don’t learn something new.
Even if I do the same surgery
as yesterday, every patient
offers a new and exciting
opportunity to keep learning.
Lisa M. Pease ’18
Surgical Technician

THE BEST
DECISION I’VE
EVER MADE

2
Jenna
Kendzierski ’19
Cardiac Sonographer
Jenna Kendzierski went from being a history major to the ROTC and a
five-and-a-half-year career as an intelligence officer before deciding to
change careers. She’d had a few ultrasounds while in the service and
was always interested in getting into the X-ray field. She consulted
with her mother-in-law, a lifelong nurse, who told her that Trocaire’s
students were always incredibly competent.
When she started classes, she quickly forgot any worries
that being a nontraditional student would raise. Her
classes were filled with a mix of recent high school
graduates, people like her who had been to school before,
and even a student who was starting her third career.
“This was different from anything I had ever done. I had
a history degree and I didn’t think my mind was geared
for learning science. But the teachers were very helpful,”
said Jenna.
Even though she did well in class, she still sought out
extra opportunities. “There was so much support.
And while I didn’t necessarily need tutoring, I would
go every week just to ensure I was learning as much
as I could.”
Trocaire’s mix of in-class and hands-on learning worked
well for her, too. “Because the clinical experience was
shown, not just talked about, I could already do the
job by the time I graduated. And when I started in
echocardiography, I was hired by Sister’s Hospital before
I got my degree.”
Now, Jenna works as an echocardiographer and even
teaches classes at her alma mater. ”I started as a
student ambassador in the admissions office, then
spoke at events for prospective students before
becoming an alumni tutor. So I guess you could say
that I just like giving back to Trocaire.”
People may ask themselves,
‘Can I go back to school
with work and a family?’
I would tell people that you
definitely can. And it’s not
just because of the flexibility
Trocaire offers. Flexibility
only goes so far. It’s because
of the support.
Jenna Kendzierski ’19
Cardiac Sonographer

MAKE YOUR
CAREER
We’ve built our success as a great healthcare school.
And now we’ve grown to offer a variety of certificate,
associate and bachelor’s degree programs that will
prepare you or advance your skills—for a multitude of
in-demand technology careers.
97 %
of alumni surveyed said
their Trocaire College degree
helped them get their job
Trocaire-trained professionals are consistently in
high demand. Beyond the opportunity for high
earning potential, our graduates also enjoy plenty of
opportunities for long-term growth. Which means
you won’t be getting just another job. You’ll be blazing
your own trail with a career you can be proud of.
The opportunity to discover an amazing job that
rewards and fulfills you—physically and emotionally—
is here. We’re ready to teach you how to make a
difference every single day for the rest of your life.
$61K
Average starting nursing salary

96 %
of Trocaire alumni who completed our
graduation survey are employed in their
field or continuing their education within
six months of graduation
1958
Founded in
by the Sisters of Mercy
97 %
of graduating students were satisfied
or extremely satisfied with their
overall experience at Trocaire

TROCAIRE
WAS THE ONLY
COLLEGE I
APPLIED TO

3 Application
Ky Ly ’17
Programmer Analyst
Ky Ly is currently a certified Epic Health Information Management
Coding Analyst who configures the proprietary Epic coding system.
But his story starts across the world in Vietnam, a country he left
when he was just a toddler.
Settling in Buffalo, his mother and stepfather worked
tirelessly to provide for their family. The journey to
discover his career began as a high school junior, when
a field trip to Trocaire gave him a glimpse of his future.
After taking one look at the nursing simulation labs,
Ky made Trocaire the only school he applied to.
While he started in the Registered Nursing program,
Ky found that, although he wanted to help people, he
didn’t enjoy hands-on nursing. A counselor helped him
discover a new path, using electronic medical records
and data to assist healthcare workers in providing the
best care possible.
“My advice is to pick the major that’s meant for you and
not just one your friends are in. That’ll be the difference
in the end when you love your job because you’re
passionate about it,” said Ky.
Ky thrived once he changed programs. And he still
remembers the support that Trocaire’s faculty—one in
particular—gave him. “A story I always tell is that during
my freshman year—and I’ll never forget this—I was late
to a class because I had overslept. The professor walked
out of class and called me to remind me that everyone
else had already started and I’d better get my butt
there! Typically you hear college professors could care
less if you show up or not, that it’s your tuition. I feel
like no other school would do this,” remembered Ky.
Today, Ky works behind the scenes to develop and
maintain the tools and workflows that Medical Coders
use every day. “This increases our revenue, which
provides the organization the resources to get better
technology, hire highly skilled healthcare workers, and
ultimately offer the best care to our patients.”
I stepped off the bus on
a high school trip, saw
the campus, felt the
energy in the building,
and immediately knew
this was the only place
I wanted to attend.
Ky Ly ’17
Application Programmer
Analyst

If you have more than one
passion, you don’t have to
live by the rules and go to
school for just one thing.
You can study something
else. You can create your
own career. After all, it’s
your own destiny.
Kittrella Whitlock ’20
Nurse & Entrepreneur

I’M FULFILLING
A PASSION
4 Nurse
Kittrella Whitlock ’20
& Entrepreneur
After earning her bachelor’s in
communications and master’s
in public relations and corporate
communications from NYU, Kittrella
found her journey through corporate
America was filled with job loss and
broken promises.
Then, her father had a stroke.
As she spent days and nights with him in the hospital,
she found that her interactions with his care team
reminded her that she once dreamed of being a nurse.
She recalled, “The biggest regret I’ve had my whole
life is ‘what if?’. You know, what if I had become a
nurse or a doctor in the medical field?”
At Trocaire, she found a new path. And while she
doesn’t see it as a career change—“I’m adding to my
skills, not reinventing myself,” she says—she is excited
to combine her existing skills, such as communicating
with others, research and marketing, with the new
things she’s learned at the school.
“I have two degrees, but nursing was the toughest
time in school I’ve ever encountered,” said Kittrella.
Yet she found support from peer mentors and the
faculty, saying, “The faculty and student relationship
feels like one big family. They even stop by your
house to see if you’re OK. Trocaire exceeded my
expectations.”
Now, she’s working as a nurse while running her own
public relations business. “I know that I’m passionate
about a lot of different things. And I’m finally living
my truth,” said Kittrella.
Does she have any advice for aspiring students?
“My whole thing is please don’t be afraid to leap. You
may not know what the future looks like. It may be
scary, but taking a leap of faith can be the best thing
for you.”

START YOUR
TROCAIRE STORY
TROCAIRE.EDU
Even though our four alumni all come from different places and walks of life, there
are a few important things they have in common.
They all had a willingness to work hard and commit themselves to the experience
of learning new things. But perhaps just as importantly, they all found a source of
inspiration and support from Trocaire.
Here, you’ll learn in the classroom, in our hands-on labs and from real-life service.
You’ll gain the support and mentorship you’ve been looking for, as well as valuable
connections with your fellow students. And you’ll graduate ready to not just
change your life, but also your community and the world around you.
This is where careers of achievement and lives of
purpose begin. Contact our admissions team today
at 716-827-2545.
Trocaire Federal Code
002812
Contact Admissions or
Financial Aid
716-827-2545

Main Campus
360 Choate Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14220
Trocaire Achievement Complex
6681 Transit Road
Williamsville, NY 14221
trocaire.edu
Office of Admissions
716-827-2545
Policy and Compliance Information: trocaire.edu/policies-compliance