Eustis, FL:  Lake Technical College is proud to announce the 2022 -23 Student of the Year is Pharmacy Technician student, Genise Acosta of Leesburg. Genise stated “When my name was called at the graduation ceremony, I definitely was nervous to walk on stage but once I saw my instructor’s supportive smiles I knew I could do this.” Each year faculty members nominate students who demonstrate professionalism, teamwork, academic achievement and an exemplary attitude towards students, faculty and staff.

Genise had been out of school for over 20 years and decided to enroll in Lake Tech’s Pharmacy Technician program after picking up a Lake Tech brochure at a local library. She currently works in Environmental Services at UF Health Leesburg Hospital and continued to work as she completed her full-time yearlong program.  Genise’s goal was to complete her certification as a Pharmacy Technician and then transfer into the pharmacy department with increased opportunity for advancement.

Once Genise began her program, she struggled with the basic skills assessment (BSA) math score and also was enrolled in the online BSA remediation course. She spent most of the year studying both for the BSA and the pharmacy curriculum. This past March she exceeded the math score that was required for her program.

According to Pharmacy Technician Instructor, Candace Chaklos, “She is the most dedicated student in the program this year and Genise is most certainly a model student.” Her hard work and dedication helped her finish the program with an excellent attendance rate and a final grade of 98%. She was inducted into the National Technical Honor Society and was Student of the Month in her program. Even with these wonderful accomplishments, she regularly found time to encourage and mentor other students.

While attending Lake Technical College, Genise was able to complete an internship with UF Health Leesburg Hospital. She has accepted a position and will begin as a General Pharmacy Technician in July. Her internship supervisor, Laura Chandler, Pharmacy Quality Coordinator, UF Health says, “Genise was highly motivated to learn and engaged with staff asking questions and learning new tasks every single day. We are super excited to have her join our team!”

When asked how you will use your education to change your life for the better and to make a contribution? Genise answered, “I am more confident. I now know more and can give better quality care to my patients.  I want to keep learning and continue my education so I can help give my family a more relaxed life.”

Genise believes a career in a year is attainable to people who don’t know what they want to do and describes her experience at Lake Tech as making dreams come true for those willing to work for it.

Lake Technical College is a public, post-secondary institution that offers high quality training for over 30 career and technical programs, as well as, adult education classes for GED and ESOL. The main campus is located at 2001 Kurt St., Eustis. The Institute of Public Safety is located at 1565 Lane Park Cutoff, Tavares. Visit the website www.laketech.org, or call (352) 589-2250 for more information.