Gonzalez started high school at La Follette before transferring to Monona Grove High School. And it was there that she developed an interest in health care.

“They offered me the opportunity to become a certified nursing assistant,” Gonzalez said. “I became a certified nursing assistant in the summer of my junior year. I was working as a CNA part-time and going to school. They had a program where I could leave school early and go to work as a CNA. I was at Oak Park Place in Cottage Grove. After that, I took advanced or health care related classes on medical terminology and health care career exploration.”

As a CNA, Gonzalez learned that there were elders who were basically abandoned at the home, which was something that was contrary to her Latino culture, remarking that her parents woupd be pretty upset if she did that to them.

“Being a CNA is difficult work when you are dealing with patients who don’t want to be there, patients who don’t have a lot of support from their families,” Gonzalez said. “I feel that made me a more passionate worker because I got to meet my patients and got to know them and make conversation with them alongside of helping them with bathing, grooming, eating and the activities of daily living. I became a companion to them. I was someone who tried to get to know the patients, especially because I had been working there while I was getting my nursing assistant certificate. I was working there as an activities assistant, which allowed me more time to meet my patients or residents. As soon as I got my certification, I transferred into that role as a CNA. I got to be what my patients really needed healthwise and what kind of support they needed physically. That allowed me to become a better CNA as well.”

While at Monona Grove High, Gonzalez was exposed to the position of surgical technology, which fascinated her has she tried her hand at stitching a banana.

“I developed an interest in surgical tech and I decided to pursue surgical technology at Madison College,” Gonzalez said. “It was either that or phlebotomy. And I ended up doing both.”

Gonzalez’s CNA experience prepared her for what was required of a surgical technician.

“A surgical technologist is someone who is basically in the operating room during surgery and assists the surgeon with patients who come in and require different surgeries by passing instruments, making sure that there is a sterile field,” Gonzalez said. “Our main job is primarily to focus on sterility and the clean aspects of surgery, making sure that the patient isn’t getting any kind of infection. I feel that people think that it sounds like it is easy, but there are a lot of small rules that come with that work. For example, you can’t put your sterile or at least clean hands above your shoulders or below the waist level because that would be considered contaminated. My job would be to call out people who accidentally do that during surgery to make sure that we can minimize the infection rates during surgery.”

And her phlebotomy training came in handy in terms of finding work to support herself.

“A phlebotomist is someone who draws blood,” Gonzalez said. “Phlebotomy is the study of cutting into veins. I did that first, two semesters before my surgical tech program. It was a one-semester course. I really liked phlebotomy because I was scared of needles or getting my blood drawn. I was always told that I have steady hands and I had patience, so I decided to take phlebotomy. That way I could work in phlebotomy as I kept studying. I worked at Interstate Blood & Plasma, which is a plasma donation center. I would hook donors up to machines that would filter out the plasma and put the blood back in without the plasma. That way, they could keep the plasma and use it for other purposes like use in medications. It was a lot of needles and blood of folks.”

As a First Generation college student, Gonzalez couldn’t lean on her family for guidance. Fortunately, Gonzalez is a well-organized person and looked for the help as she needd it.

“I feel like I was always someone who liked reading emails from school to find workshops and events,” Gonzalez said. “For example, there were a couple of events that related to Latino students or workshops that talked about how to specifically do certain things like apply for classes or sign up for financial aid. I feel like I was always someone who tried to look for those opportunities and that is where I found support. I asked questions and that helped me a lot as a first generation student. I’m a really organized person. I like to put a lot of things on my schedule to plan my day. It would be like, ‘Tomorrow, call the school to ask about this and that.’ And I would go from there.”

While Gonzalez has gone where no one in her family has gone before in college — earning an associate’s degree — she knows that she didn’t get there on her own.

“I am grateful for my parents and their support emotionally and financially, especially when I am doing something that is new to them,” Gonzalez said. “I would also like to thank my friends for being supportive also emotionally and being so flexible with me because I know my friends like to go out and I know that I had piles of homework just waiting for me. They were patient in allowing me to pursue my career and do that as my primary focus. I would also like to thank my boyfriend because he supported me the most emotionally and financially since we do live together. We actually purchased a house a couple of months before the program started. I thought it was going to be a big problem or more stress because I have to deal with finances a lot more than I did before with a house. He basically allows me to pursue school first. And when I decided to quit my job, he helped me financially and emotionally because there would be days when I would be crying because I was so stressed. He was always there to support me.”

Right now, Gonzalez is working as a surgical technician at the American Family Children’s Hospital where she is content for the present.

“I do plan to go back to school, but that would be in a couple of years,” Gonzalez said. “I want to become more confident and professional in this role. And hopefully, I will see where my next passion takes place. My long term goal would be to find a career that I am passionate about, where I feel that I can settle down and stay in the job as long as possible. I want to find a career that I don’t plan on leaving ever.”

Amy Gonzalez is living more than just her American Dream. While she has the resources and education to continue to pursue her medical career. She is also fulfilling her parents’ dream of her having a better life beyond hard work. These are dreams fulfilled.