About three years ago, Janet Townsend of McBee was an outdoor educator at Coker College, but her love for working in a laboratory called for her to return to school to earn a second degree.
In 2007, Townsend left Coker to become a student again after enrolling at Florence-Darlington Technical College.
Thursday, Townsend will be awarded an associate degree during the college’s commencement at 7 p.m. at Florence Civic Center. Florence Mayor Stephen J. Wukela will deliver the commencement address.
Townsend, who is this year’s student commencement speaker, will graduate with an Associate of Science in medical laboratory technology.
Townsend said she always knew she would return to school to for a career change and now was the perfect time to do it.
She said wanted to pursue medical laboratory technology after spending some time in the classroom as a chemistry teacher at Hartsville High School in Darlington County School District and at Coker.
“I had fond memories of my time in the lab and I thought this would be a very interesting and challenging type of lab to work in,” Townsend said. “Also, it’s another way of helping people.”
Townsend, a Tennessee native, started out her career as a chemist with the Tennessee Valley Authority. She later worked at Sonoco before teaching high school chemistry in 2000.
Townsend said she decided she wanted to become a teacher after a short experience with homeschooling her children.
“I just wanted to do something more for the community,” she said. “I had ideas and I thought I could make a difference as a teacher.”
After a short time, Townsend determined her calling was working in a laboratory.
After completing her clinicals, Townsend said she has plans to work as a generalist in a hospital lab.
Townsend received a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Townsend is a member of several civic and community organizations including the Medical Lab Technician Class of 2009 president, the S.C. State Guard and the Darlington County Master Gardener Association.
Townsend was named to the Phi Theta Kappa 2009 All-American Academic Team. She also is a member of St. Luke United Methodist Church in Hartsville.
Townsend and her husband, Bob, have two children: Rachel, 24, and Matthew, 25.
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