Script for Carrie Tibke

Introduction music with the blue OTAN logo appearing on a black screen. The music continues as California Adult Education Students Succeed 2010 is shown on screen with a logo. A picture of Carrie Tibke from Charles A. Jones Skills and Business Education Center is shown. Carrie has brown hair that is pulled back. She wears silver eyeglasses. She is wearing a white turtleneck with a light teal scrub top over it.

Description: As music plays a video of Carrie is shown. She is standing in a classroom. The classroom has medical chairs and medical trays around the room. Carrie is wearing scrubs and putting blue latex gloves on. When she is interviewed she is sitting in front of a row of computers.

Carrie Tibke, Graduate Medical Assisting Program, Charles A. Jones Career & Education Center: I thought running away to Virginia when I was 18 years-old was the best thing I could possibly do for myself. I was getting the furthest away from my family that you could get. I mean, come on, it was all the way on the east coast and I thought that, why not get married and live a happy little life away and I have, four years later, moved back with an eight month-old baby and that was it: clothes on his back and maybe a suitcase of mine.

Description: Nancy Compton is sitting at a table with a row of computers behind her. She is wearing a white jacket over a purple blouse. She has blonde hair that is just above her shoulders. She is wearing a gold necklace and gold earrings. A video clip is shown of Nancy and Carrie interacting in the classroom.

Nancy Compton, Principal (ret), Charles A. Jones Career & Education Center: Every once in a while you meet someone who is completely outstanding and amazing and just has that where-with-all to say 'you know what, that was my past, this is my future, I'm moving on' and it makes me grateful that we've had the program here that could help her and the personnel here who could help her and believe in her.

Description: A video is shown of Carrie in the classroom.

Carrie: I've tried other schools. I was going to another school and like I said, I was two months from graduation and I started just passing out and ending up in hospitals and I started being treated for depression and mainly panic and anxiety disorder. Due to a lot of domestic violence in my life I was kind of past that physical therapy point and needed a surgery. As soon as I was released from my physician I started back up here at Charles Jones.

Description: Jean Newman has brown curly shoulder-length hair. She is wearing a white and gray printed blouse. She wears black eyeglasses. While she speaks a video is played of Carrie interacting with staff members and filling a syringe from a bottle of fluid.

Jean Newman, Instructor, Customer Service, Charles A. Jones Career & Education Center: She did have some struggles. She did have an environment that she was raised in that wasn't very supportive. However, she continued to persevere and if I were to give one word that I would use for her it was, would be determined; very determined young lady.

Description: Ruth Rosa has brown hair pulled back in a pony tail. She is wearing eyeglasses and wearing maroon scrubs. In the background is a computer. A video clip of Carrie sitting and talking with the staff is shown during the interview.

Ruth Rosa, Instructional Asst. Medical Assisting Program, Charles A. Jones Career & Education Center: There's one thing I've always told her "don't ever forget where you came from." Don't, even though most of your past is hurtful, you know, our bad memories, use those to get further up in life.

Description: Rhonda Cooper is wearing light teal scrubs. She has blonde short hair. During her interview a video clip is shown of Carrie administering a shot in a woman's arm.

Rhonda Cooper, Instructor, Computer Applications, Charles A. Jones Career & Education Center: Carrie came in when she was at that maturation state, where she was ready to move on with her life and she had a focus and she wasn't going to allow anybody to get in her way. That's what she came here for and she was ready to do it.

Description: Patricia Bradshaw has short brown hair. She is wearing a brown blouse that has tan, pink and blue dots and circles on it. There are two computers on a table behind where she is sitting. A short video clip is shown of Carrie instructing students on how to fill a syringe from a bottle of fluid. A video clip is also shown of Carrie and her son walking through a grassy area. Carrie is wearing her scrubs with a backpack and purse over one shoulder and holding a bottle of water. Her son is to her right. He comes up to her shoulders and is wearing a dark blue polo shirt with a backpack on. They are talking as they walk.

Patricia Bradshaw, Dept. Chair Medical Assisting Program, Charles A. Jones Career & Education Center:Carrie knew what she wanted but to get her to that point was hard. Like I said, she wanted to quit but she didn't and she kept coming back and with the encouragement and knowing that she had her little boy at home, that's where Carrie focused and to know 'I want a future. I want a life. I want to be able to be the mother that that little boy needs.'

Description: While Carries speaks a video of her and her son is played. They are sitting on a bench outside. Her left arm is around his shoulders. They are talking and reading a Dr. Seuss book.

Carrie: I attribute it to going home at the end of the day and seeing my son and kind of had that extra push of 'man if I give up what kind of example is that setting for him?' especially when I'm yelling at him to get on his school work and here I am feeling like I want to give up on mine.

Description: Nancy Guettler has short blonde hair. She is wearing eyeglasses and a light pink scrub top. There are pictures of band aids, stethoscopes and other medical equipment on her scrubs. Video clips of Carrie filling syringes, studying with her instructor and helping other students are played during the interviews.

Nancy Guettler, Instructor, Medical Terminology, Charles A. Jones Career & Education Center: I really commend her for her, for her progress that she's made from when she, before she started her and that's, that's a big accomplishment, big accomplishment.

Ruth: Whatever she wants to do she'll, you know as long as she puts her mind to it and have that 'I can do it' attitude, she will get a lot further in life.

Patricia: I would like to thank Carrie from the bottom of my heart for being my student. The challenges with her were so worth it and I thank her for allowing me to teach her. I knew she had it in her. I just had to pull it out from inside. She is a wonderful young lady.

Nancy: This is such a tremendous honor that she is an inspiration and will be an inspiration to many, many students and many, many people out there who maybe are not students but in reading her story will say 'wow, if Carrie can do what she's done, I too can do that'.

Description: As Carrie speaks music plays in the background.

Carrie: Basically what it boils down to is if I don't take care of my son, who's going to? I mean the way that I look at it is whatever I'm going through somebody else has got to have it worse than me.

Description: Sabian Now sits in a red chair in front of a wood hutch. He is a very handsome young man wearing a collared polo shirt. He has very short brown hair and big brown eyes.

Sabian Now, Carrie Tibke's Son: I feel proud of her that she made it through college and she has a very good job and that she came from working from college all the way to here.

Description: A video clip is shown of Carrie sitting at a table with Patricia, Ruth, and other staff. Carrie has a book open on the table. The ladies are talking and laughing.

Carrie: Definitely Ms. Bradshaw and Ms. Rosa have been the biggest impact from here to there, whichever way life goes they will always be a part of me and I will always thank them for what they did for me and who they are.

Special Thanks to: Charles A. Jones Career & Education Center, Sacramento City Unified School District and Brant Choate, Director.

Produced by OTAN 2010; Producer – Penny Pearson; Director – Douglas Rennie