Student Spotlight: Madison Ballou
Madison Ballou’s love for the TV show “Grey’s Anatomy” introduced her to the surgical field. However, the lengthy time commitment of becoming a surgeon deterred her from this career path. Opting for a more direct route into the operating room, she discovered the role of a surgical technologist.
Surgical technologists assist in the operating room during each phase of the surgery. Some of their duties include preparing the operating room and arranging equipment before surgery, passing instruments to the surgeon during surgery, and restocking the operating room after surgery.
During her high school years, Madison was tasked with finding the perfect college that suited her interests. Utilizing keywords like North Carolina, surgical technology, and volleyball, the Kansas native’s search led her to Cape Fear Community College despite never having visited the Tar Heel State.
Madison dedicated her initial two years at CFCC to excelling in volleyball and completing all necessary prerequisites. Currently, she is fully immersed in her Surgical Technology courses, actively pursuing her dream of working in the operating room.
Before she digs deeper into the surgical technology program, we asked Madison to serve up some answers about her experience at CFCC thus far.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO ENROLL AT CFCC?
I decided to enroll at CFCC because it had exactly what I was looking for between the surgical technology program and volleyball. I was moving here from Kansas, and everyone at CFCC made it super easy for me and was extremely supportive, which made my decision even easier.
WHERE ARE YOU FROM ORIGINALLY?
I am originally from Osawatomie, Kansas. That’s Oh-sah-whatta-me.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AT CFCC?
During my first two years at CFCC, I played on the volleyball team which led me to meet the most amazing people. We had very successful seasons in both of my years playing. My freshman year we won the region championship and went to nationals in Iowa. Then, in my sophomore year, we were district champions and got to go to nationals in Iowa for the second year in a row. We got the first program win in history at nationals for the volleyball program, which was an awesome experience to be a part of. I am now in the surgical technology program, and I love it so far. Everything we are learning is very interesting and keeps me on my toes. I’ve also been a student ambassador for the past two years, helping out and giving tours around campus.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER GRADUATION?
After graduation, I plan to start working at a hospital somewhere in this area as a surgical technologist.
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO PURSUE THIS CAREER PATH?
The medical field has always interested me and is something I’ve always seen myself pursuing, especially surgery. I didn’t necessarily want to be a surgeon, so I started looking for jobs that would allow me to be in surgery without having to be a surgeon, and that’s when I found out about surgical technology. I want a job that is going to push me and keep me on my toes. I don’t want to do the same thing every day, so I thought being a surgical technologist would be a great fit for me.
HOW HAS CFCC HELPED PREPARE YOU FOR YOUR NEXT STEP?
CFCC has everyone’s best interest at heart; they will do anything to help you get to where you need to be. I feel like I have formed a family here because anytime I’ve needed anything, there’s always been someone here to step up and help. They have assured me that I will have many job opportunities as soon as I graduate, which is a huge stress reliever. CFCC instructors care, and they make sure you are set up for success, even after you graduate.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE CONSIDERING STUDYING AT CFCC?
I would recommend CFCC to everyone. It has been such an amazing and positive experience for me. If I have the opportunity to share that with others so they can also have that experience, I would in a heartbeat. CFCC has a lot to offer and is getting bigger each year.
Learn more about CFCC’s Surgical Technology program.
