Christine Nabatanzi crossed an ocean to start a better life, now the honors student and mother of two, is realizing her dream to work in the high-demand field of ophthalmology.  

Christine’s healthcare career journey started several years after immigrating to the United States in 2007. She decided to enroll at RTC to train for a career in computer science after many years working in the retail industry. As Christine progressed in her computer science training, she learned about the ophthalmic profession and RTC’s Ophthalmic Assistant Program certification program – the only program of its kind in Washington state. She decided to switch programs to be able to enter the workforce more quickly in a high-demand field.

One challenge to Christine’s goal of finishing her education was finances. The Foundation provided four different academic scholarships including the Steve Hanson Scholarship for Student Leadership that bridged her financial gaps and kept her on track to finish her certification.

Christine officially graduates this month and is already employed full-time as an ophthalmic assistant at Proliance Surgeons in Bellevue. During the June 2019 Commencement ceremonies at the ShoWare Center in Kent, President Kevin McCarthy recognized Christine for her resilience, hard work and great accomplishments.

She’s not done yet, and plans to return to RTC to complete her courses in computer science in the near future, with the goal to merge computer science training with opthamology and to expand her career options at Proliance.

We wish Christine the very best in her new career and join with her family in celebrating her success story.