Benjamin Anyigbavor

When he moved to the United States from his home country of Ghana, Ben Anyigbavor had a degree in geodetic engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and 10 years of experience in land surveying. In terms of careers, the healthcare field was not on his radar.

His wife, Suzzie, whom he had met in Ghana, was living in Reynoldsburg and had attended COTC to become a registered nurse. Her experience at COTC was a positive one — from the individualized attention from professors to the real-world experience she gleaned during her time with a nurse preceptor at Grant Medical Center, she graduated with the skills she needed to enter the workforce.

“I felt that my instructors were readily available. They were approachable,” she said. “And they made us know from Day One that if you need anything, they are always available. They are willing to help you succeed.”

Now a nurse at Grant Medical Center, Suzzie has already found fulfillment in the career that COTC helped launch. “What I find rewarding is, at the end of the day, if I see my patient feel better, help them alleviate their pain and what they were going through before they came, that makes me feel better,” she said. “Then I feel fulfilled. I’ve made a difference in somebody else’s life.”

It was Suzzie who recommended COTC to her husband, recognizing that the skills he’d acquired during his time in Ghana could translate to the radiologic science field.

“You have to operate equipment and machinery to get good images of the patient, and I felt inclined to that area because I have an engineering background,” Anyigbavor said. “So I thought that I could relate well with that kind of environment.”

After the couple started a family, Ben was intentional in seeking a career path whose schooling and trajectory would allow for balance in his family life. “I wanted something more flexible, with more job security,” he said. “But also more opportunities.”

He immediately found a home in COTC’s radiologic science technology program, where he was able to put his background to use and also leverage the flexible class schedules to prioritize his family. Thanks to smaller class sizes and professors who are personally invested in his success, Ben is optimistic about his prospects for the future upon graduation in May 2024.

“It’s been terrific. I think my instructors are the best I’ve ever had.”