Featured Alumna - June 2020

The four years I spent at Chicago Christian High School were a time of personal growth for me. I was a shy, quiet student with a handful of close friends. I remember I had no idea who I really was in terms of my faith or what I wanted to do with my life after high school, and a lot of that was kept bottled up inside. Chicago Christian gave me some great outlets for my creativity – I was extremely fond of all the art classes I took with Mrs. Medema and frequently participated in the after-school Art Club. If my peers were to remember one thing about me, it might be my love for playing the piano. During lunch hour I would sneak into the auditorium for a chance to play on the school’s Steinway concert grand. I used to paint sets for the fall and spring theater productions, and one year I was the rehearsal pianist for the Beauty and the Beast musical. I believe I was the female in my senior class (2011) who was named “Most Likely to Be Famous” in the yearbook…so I’m sorry to say I’ve disappointed everyone since then. The career that I’ve chosen and come to love is more of a “behind-the-scenes” role in the healthcare field: medical laboratory science.

In a nutshell, medical laboratory scientists are responsible for performing all the tests ordered by doctors on patient samples in an accurate and timely manner. Medical laboratory scientists report the test results, enabling doctors to make diagnoses and treatment decisions. I currently hold a bachelor’s degree in biology from Olivet Nazarene University, a master’s degree in medical laboratory science from Rush University, and I also have national certification from the American Society for Clinical Pathology. I’ve been employed in the clinical microbiology lab for University of Chicago Medicine since 2015, where I work with everything from specimens to bacteria to viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent for the current COVID-19 pandemic. The past two months have been stressful, but the laboratory has been doing the absolute best it can with what it has been given. On top of all routine testing, we are currently performing close to one thousand tests per day for COVID-19.

I never could have imagined I’d be where I am today during my time at Chicago Christian. I am not just a medical technologist. I am the wife of my wonderful husband, David Kotan, mother of our beautiful baby girl, Amy Elizabeth, born Thanksgiving Day, 2019, and slightly obsessed dog-mama of a gigantic lab/great Pyrenees cuddle-bug named Nova.

I may not have known who I was or who I would be at the time, but I’m thankful for the Christ-centered philosophy at Chicago Christian. I’m thankful for Mrs. Vilendrer, who opened my eyes to the beauty and function of living things in biology class. I’m thankful for Dr. Kuipers for piquing my interest in laboratory work (although I’m still sorry for bombing that chemistry final!). I’m thankful for all of the teachers who put up with me and who prayed for me, as they continually pray for every student who walks through their doors. I may not have appreciated it at the time, but the daily reminders I witnessed of God’s love, sovereignty, and faithfulness in every area of life helped to anchor my own faith in Christ.