College Fraternity

College fraternity: It’s not what you’re thinking. No campus antics or wild parties. Instead, fraternity for the cohort of former Qimonda employees – now Reynolds graduates – describes a special bond forged by transforming adversity into academic and professional success.

When Qimonda shuttered its Eastern Henrico semiconductor plant in 2009, former employee Louis Bausone revisited an idea he’d had on occasion. “I had thought about going back to school when I worked at Qimonda, but not seriously. If I had, it probably would have been to further my education in semiconductors.” Instead, Bausone and five former colleagues earned their AAS Medical Laboratory Technology degrees from Reynolds, with tuition support through the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the majority of medical and clinical laboratory technicians, “lab techs,” are hired by hospitals, but employment is expected to grow rapidly in medical and diagnostic labs, doctors’ offices and ambulatory healthcares services. Becky Clark, program head for the college’s Medical Laboratory Technician track said the cohort has done an exceptional job in the classroom and she is confident that all will have secured full-time employment in the upcoming weeks.

For Bausone, his new Med Lab degree is the key to pulling his family out of a tough financial slump. “Things have been tight as far as money. The VEC helped with weekly unemployment benefits but that aspect of the program ended on February 12th, so it’s been a real struggle since then.” Plus, Bausone admits, “Learning seems to be more difficult at forty-seven than it was in my twenties. I really have to hit the material much harder to get it to stick.” Diane Mensler agrees. “Sometimes having another brain to bounce questions off of can help you to remember the little details that slip away.”

Still, their hard work and camaraderie has paid off. The cohort pulled together, studied together and walked together on May 14th. Mensler and Bausone have high praise for their professors. “Not only are all of the instructors and professors knowledgeable, every one of them was enthusiastic about the subject they were teaching,” said Mensler. For Bausone, the work history of the instructors added to the quality of instruction. “Much of the time, they had anecdotes to help teach the material and keep the class fun and interesting. I feel having a professor or teacher who’s worked the bench and can draw off of their experiences make some of the best instructors and mentors.” The flexibility offered by online classes also helped the students balance school work with home life.

For Mensler, finishing her degree, “…has been difficult and rewarding. I have discovered a career where I feel like I can make a difference and found the challenge of learning entirely new subjects fascinating.” Her advice to career switchers: “Commit to the change. Be sure that it’s a career that you can enjoy. Don't just choose based on salary, but on your interest. If you don't like the subject you may not excel.”

Louis Bausone says his successful career switch started at home, rather than the classroom. “Make sure your family is onboard. It’s hard enough to change careers, but even harder if you have no support. I was lucky. Not only was my wife on board, but because most of us knew each other from Qimonda, we were a tight knit group. We studied together and encouraged each other through the program. When things seemed toughest there was always a fellow student to offer advice and encouragement.”

Building on work experience and re-deploying skills also helped the group. Through a required VEC talent assessment test, it was noted that since the students exhibited such a high level of dexterity making microchips, they would be good at working with their hands in a medical laboratory. Fortunately, the new Med Lab degree holders are about to put this theory to the test. And, while their job prospects will take the new grads to different places, this special fraternity will always have one thing in common: a fresh start from J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.

Another five of the Qimonda cohort are expected to complete their clinical rotations this summer and graduate in August. For information on this and other academic programs, visit the JSRCC website.