Florida Career College Graduate is Passionate about Healthy Kids

Inspired by family and driven by academic excellence, Johnte Floyd graduated from the Patient Care Technician program at Florida Career College in Lauderdale Lakes ready to take on a new career and new challenges.

The 10-month Patient Care Technician program introduced Johnte to the tools, settings, and experiences she would encounter in her new career. She learned about patient assistance, nursing assistance, geriatric care, as well as current theories and techniques directly from experienced industry professionals.

“I knew I wanted to be in the medical field,” Johnte said. “But I needed something that could work with my pockets at the time and my work schedule.”

After graduation, she began working in her field of training performing Patient Care Technician duties, which she truly enjoys.

“The program prepared me with the skills for this job, but I also have learned so much since I started,” she said. “I’ve had to adapt to different diagnoses, patient personalities, and even had to learn a bit of French and Spanish in order to provide the best care for my clients.”

When she started the program, Johnte was an Assistant Foster Parent at a community organization in South Florida where she often worked in homes with 5-6 teenage girls. Her work hours were all over the place, but FCC was able to find a schedule so she could go to school and continue to work.

She appreciated her instructors who made themselves available at any time to answer questions and treated her like a professional. In particular, Johnte said Ms. Veronica Bass and Ms. Julie Mitchell felt like family by the end of her program because they pushed her to improve and truly wanted her to succeed.

The kids she worked with, who she called “my girls,” were also a big source of inspiration that kept Johnte going through the program.

“My girls have been through a ton in life,” she said. “They were a source of encouragement and helped me practice at home. They were constantly saying, ‘Hey let me help you Mrs. Johnte’ or ‘Ms. Johnte can you teach me that’ and that pushed me.”

On top of work and school, Johnte was also President of the Ambassadors Club at FCC. She was always on the go, either in class, working, studying, or planning and coordinating club events. She also made a vow to herself that she would never settle for less than an A or, if she had to dip lower, a B would be the final grade in class.

“Johnte assisted at every orientation, mentored fellow students, and made herself available to anyone in need. She ALWAYS smiled, no matter what. Her dedication to FCC and her colleagues was evident in everything she did,” said Michael Cole, FCC Regional Vice President of Operations.

“Sometimes, I wouldn’t go to bed until 5:00 a.m. only to wake up at 7:00 a.m. and start the cycle all over again,” she said. “I wanted to be one of the best of the best in the program.”

Johnte’s drive helped take her career to new heights with her diploma from FCC. She is happy to be working in an environment where she continues to learn every day and interact with many different people.

“Johnte is an inspiration to other students who leads by example. She had obstacles to overcome, she never let it show. She went about her business and tried to motivate others to do the same. When her actions were not enough, she would be quick to speak to those that needed a kind word or something to get them moving.  You could see that she wanted more for herself, and wanted to take care of as many people she could,” Michael said.

Johnte was selected as the student speaker to represent the Lauderdale Lakes campus in the FCC 2020 graduation ceremony in October, which was held virtually due to the pandemic.

“Every single one of us has a life outside of these walls, whether it be a full-time student, having a full-time job, being a parent, spouse or all of the above,” she told fellow graduates. “Juggling life and following our dreams is not an easy process. We all had days that were low, where we struggled with many tasks set ahead of us. But, throughout this journey, we made it happen with amazing support from our teachers, faculty, clubs, and our peers. The time spent here at FCC not only came a haven, but an extended family,”

Her advice to future students is, “sometimes, it just takes that one leap of faith. Obstacles will come and hit you like a ton of bricks, but you just pick up those bricks and start building a house.”

A video recording of her graduation speech is available on the FCC YouTube channel.