To get an idea as to what kind of impact Tech can have on a family, those prospective students and parents need to look no further than the Foster family.
Tennessee Tech has been really good to our family, Rebecca Foster said. So we like to encourage others about Tennessee Tech whenever possible.
Rebecca earned a bachelor s degree in nursing while her husband Allen earned a bachelor s in the school of business. It was only fitting that their two children Brooke and Shade follow in their footsteps.
Brook graduated in 2015 with a bachelor s degree in nursing while Shade is a freshman at Tech, majoring in pre-physical therapy, and is a member of the football team.
We were glad when Shade chose to come here, Rebecca said. He had a lot of other offers and he could have gone anywhere else, but he chose to come to Tech.
Brooke chose Tech because of the nursing program which she was already very familiar with. Her love for helping babies and the guidance of her mother helped make her career choice an easy one.
She was my inspiration as to who I looked up to in the nursing profession. I love kids, too, Brooke said. Once I got into nursing school, my mom was a huge inspiration and a huge help when I had struggles. I definitely had struggles and she got me through it.
While Brooke was working on her undergraduate degree at Tech, Rebecca and Allen were furthering their education by pursuing graduate degrees at the university.
That was a definite good time in our lives, said Rebecca with a laugh. Brooke was working on her degree here at Tech and my husband and I were working on our masters degrees here at Tech through the RODP program. I was working on nursing and he was doing strategic leadership. It was tough, but we made it through all of that.
As the chief nursing officer at Cumberland Medical Center, Rebecca knows how important it is to hire quality nurses. She didn t have to look very far for a prominent nursing prospect once Brooke graduated from Tech.
With the nursing shortage the way it is, you don t want to turn away a good nurse, and she certainly is a good nurse, said Rebecca about Brooke. I m proud of how she is developing. She gets compliments a lot from the physicians. We d be crazy not to hire one of the best.
Brooke says she was somewhat hesitant about working at Cumberland Medical Center with her mom. But, it s been a decision she is glad she made.
She is my boss boss. If I get in enough trouble, I will find my way in to her office. And get in trouble at home, joked Brooke. I did have other opportunities to work at other hospitals. There were some hesitations about working under my mom because people have different opinions on that. I knew I could deal with that because of the great atmosphere at the medical center.
Rebecca continues to hire graduates from Tech s nursing program. She also stays actively involved in a program she believes in whole-heartedly.
One of the reasons why I m involved at Tennessee Tech on the development council and the advisory board is because I know what type of students Tennessee Tech produces, Rebecca said. When you have a school of this quality in your area, you are going to want to hire from that.
For the Foster family, Tech s campus is a place that has been full of opportunity. It is a caring community they are excited for Shade to embrace. Rebecca, Allen, Brooke and Shade will be on campus for Family Weekend and Preview Day, celebrating all Tech has to offer.
For all the events and activities be sure to check out the link on the Tech website https://www.tntech.edu/parents/familyweekend/.
