By Christopher Ulloa, ROC Small Business Entrepreneurship

BAKERSFIELD, CA - The ROC Pharmacy Tech program allowed me come to their classroom for about an hour to see how their class works and what they do. What a great opportunity for these young high school juniors and seniors attending the 3-hour per day Regional Occupational Center (ROC).

The teacher, Miss. Patteson, was really nice to me when I went into her class. They played Kahoot and let me do a lab with them in class. I got to interview two students and the teacher.

The first student I interviewed, Jazmaine, said the teacher is really fun; she teaches a lot of interesting things. Jazmaine wants to go to college after ROC and she said that Miss. Patteson makes the class really interesting.

The second student I interviewed was named Luis and he said he loves working in his group. He has learned a lot about medications and he wants to go college for nursing.

As for Miss. Patteson, she went to college to be a 5th grade teacher, but she turned out to be a Pharmacy teacher after working her way through college as a Pharm Tech at Rite Aid.

Patteson states you have to be 18 in order to work at a Pharmacy, although some of her student trainees are younger. She looks up to her grandpa as her role model she referenced a quote from the Bible that inspires her: “Faith makes things possible not easy” (Joshua 1:9).

As for the day’s lesson, the class taught me that you can never touch a pill with your hands -- you must be wearing gloves, and only then if you're putting pills into a plastic container.

Overall, the classroom is really organized and really clean. I loved the way the class was set up and I liked how they had a little Pharmacy area set up within the class. Successful students will have the opportunity second semester to take their lessons into the community when they start their internships. What a great way for a high school student to break into the industry!