(Photo Provided) Mattigan Ward at work in one of her classes in the medical college preparation program at the Washington County Career Center.
Mattigan Ward, senior at Marietta High School, has a foot in two worlds, one as a high school student and the other as a career center student taking her first steps into the health care field.
Ward is enrolled in the medical college preparation program at the Washington County Career Center, a cheerleader and a student ambassador for the career center.
Although she is a high school senior, she completed the state testing for the nursing assistant certificate in 2023 as a junior, her first year at the career center.
“I have been CPR certified, first aid and stop the bleed certificate and this year I’m working on my phlebotomy certificate,” she said. “Two days a week we work and learn about the body systems and how each of the organs work for the program.”
At the end of the current semester, Ward said she will be in the early placement program as a phlebotomist or a state tested nursing assistant (STNA.)
(Photo Provided) Holding mementos from a cheerleading competition is Mattigan Ward.
Ward said because of her background, she will be able to work independently.
“I passed my STNA, so I can do anything myself,” she said.
Ward said she hopes to attend a two-year college program in nursing to be a registered nurse. She said she has not decided if she will go to Washington State College of Ohio or elsewhere for college.
“If I were to go for a four years degree I’d have my bachelor of science in nursing.
“I plan to go to that level eventually,” she said.
(Photo Provided) Marietta High School senior Mattigan Ward in one of her senior portraits.
Ward said due to age restrictions, her advance placement will put her in a nursing home or an assisted living facility.
“Since I’ll be only 17 when I graduate, I can’t work in a hospital,” she said. “You have to be 18 to work in a hospital.”
Ward said she was not sure of what she wanted to do when she first went to the career center, but realized it kept her from something she wanted in a career.
“At first I wanted to go to radiology,” she said. “I did an internship at Marietta Memorial and I got to observe that area and I decided I didn’t like it.
“I thought there was too much sitting and not enough patient interaction for me.”
(Photo provided)
Mattigan Ward holds the 2023 OSHAA Spirit State Championship trophy for division three.
Ward said while observing nursing work, she liked what she saw and her decision was made.
After college Ward said she plans to stay in Marietta for a few years and would like to work at Marietta Memorial Hospital.
“I really want to work in post anesthesia care,” she said. “That’s a hard to get job.”
Ward is also a student ambassador for the career center.
“As a student ambassador, I helped to build a bridge between my home school and the career center.
(Photo Provided) Mattigan Ward with family at the recent OSHAA Spirit State Championship cheerleading championships
“I help with the recruitment process of sophomores coming up to their junior year,” she said. “That is when they are eligible for the career center.”
Ward said she gives tours of the center for prospective students and answers questions they may have about the center and its various programs.
At one time Ward she said was moving toward early childhood education.
“I was coaching a cheer team of kindergarten students last year,” she said. “I just thought I needed to be a kindergarten teacher. I wanted to go into education and work with kindergarten kids, but I snapped back to the medical program.”
In addition to her work Ward is also a cheerleader at Marietta High School. Along with her career center studies, being a cheerleader keeps her busy.
(Photo Provided) Marietta High School senior Mattigan Ward in one of her senior portraits.
“It can be hard at times,” she said. “It depends on what is going on at school.”
Before turning to cheerleading she was taking dance lessons.
“I’ve been in cheerleading since the eighth grade,” she said. “I took dance from 3 years old up to 13 in the eighth grade.”
Ward said there is one person who influenced her decision to go into the medical program.
“Our program teacher who retired earlier this year, Mrs. Robin Wright,” she said. “I will be one of the first in my family to do this.
“I have a cousin who just graduated from nursing school, but I wanted to do this before she was in school.”
(Photo Provided) Marietta High School senior Mattigan Ward in one of her senior portraits.
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