Tampa Single Mother of Three Overcomes Obstacles to Graduate with Honors from Ultimate Medical Academy

TAMPA, Fla., October 2, 2017– Ultimate Medical Academy is proud to highlight Markeeta Jones, a resident of Tampa, Florida, and a November 2016 graduate of Ultimate Medical Academy’s Patient Care Technician (PCT) program. Jones was one of three student graduates who shared their story at Ultimate Medical Academy’s 2017 Spring Commencement at the USF Sun Dome.

“My mom passed away in 2015 and after that, I knew I needed to turn the negative into a positive,” Jones said. “When I enrolled in the PCT program, it was my passion to go out there and help other people’s grandparents since I never got to meet mine.”

While earning her diploma at Ultimate Medical Academy, Jones maintained a 4.0 GPA, served as a student ambassador, and graduated with honors. But these academic achievements did not come without obstacles for Jones to overcome. While pursuing her education, Jones battled a serious illness as well as other personal struggles, all while caring for her three children as a single mother. Because of her dedication and the commitment of Ultimate Medical Academy’s faculty and staff to her success, Jones is more excited than ever about what her future holds.

“[Ultimate Medical Academy] is the best school with lots of enthusiastic, great people and instructors,” Jones said. “My advisors kept me going when I had personal troubles and things to take care of. They even assisted me when I needed help for my kids.”

Part of Ultimate Medical Academy’s model focuses on student support inside and outside of the classroom. Services are tailored to address the needs of each student to help the student not only graduate, but also prepare for a career in healthcare.

Since December 2016, Jones has been a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) with Assisting Hands Home Care®, a home care company that emphasizes exceptional customer service and highly personalized in-home care to meet the needs of their clients. As a CNA, Jones is responsible for assisting the elderly with daily household chores, personal and custodial care, gathering vitals, and more.

Ultimate Medical Academy President Derek Apanovitch said, “Stories like Markeeta’s are what inspire us to do as much as we can for our students. At Ultimate Medical Academy, we offer a wide variety of student services and alumni career resources to ensure that our students and graduates have a pathway to success.”

After her mom passed away, Jones realized her heart is in caring for the elderly. She aspires to own her own healthcare facility and continues to stick by the motto that saw her through her studies:

“Determination is the key to success. If you’re not determined, you’re not going to succeed,” Jones said. “This is just the beginning, I’m not finished.”

Watch Jones’ personal testimonial and Ultimate Medical Academy Spring Commencement here.