Student Success – Callie Billings

Calling Billings came to Bridgerland Technical College when she was still a junior at InTech high school. She has already started to plan for the direction she wanted to take after graduation. Her dreams were to attend radiology school to become a radiologist. Knowing that this would be an expensive option, Callie looked for a way to find a good-paying job to fund her education. After meeting with an advisor at Bridgerland Technical College, Callie decided to take concurrent enrollment classes in Dental Assisting while she was still in high school.
Callie beamed as she said, “The best part about the concurrent enrollment classes was that I didn’t have to pay tuition!”

Callie worked hard and as she progressed through her classes, realized that she loved Dental Assisting and wanted to stay in the dental field as a career path. When asked what she enjoyed most about her classes, she immediately mentioned the hands-on labs. “It was great to practice what I was learning so that I could perfect my skills and feel confident in what I was doing. The instructors are always supportive and encouraging, and really care about their students.”

The concurrent enrollment allowed Callie to work towards completing hours during her junior and senior years, including the summer between—all without paying tuition. She completed most of her requirements while still in high school and finished her certificate just two weeks after graduating. She did all of this, as well as taking classes through Utah State University while maintaining her status as an honor roll student. Now that’s impressive!

The training and skills Callie received at Bridgerland Technical College landed her a great job as a Dental Assistant right out of high school. She plans to apply for dental hygiene schools in a few months and is confident that her certificate and skills will give her a competitive edge over other applicants. “I think every high school student should try at least one class,” she told us. “It’s better to try it while you are still in high school than after and waste your money. Don’t think about it, just try it!”