Success Stories

A College Degree – Times Three!

Patricia DeAnda-Likes photo

Patricia DeAnda-Likes

Class of 2011

“I couldn’t have done it without Wake Tech!”

    — Patricia DeAnda-Likes

Patricia DeAnda-Likes has come a long way from her early days as a worker in a poultry plant. At the age of 45, she found herself alone, raising four children and five grandchildren, and working as a substitute teacher to make ends meet. When school administrators encouraged her to get a degree, she researched local colleges and universities and chose Wake Tech. “I called local employers and asked which graduates they liked to hire,” Patricia said. “Their overwhelming response was ‘Wake Tech’!”

Patricia enrolled in the Wake Tech’s Medical Office Administration program, and it wasn’t long before she had exceeded her own expectations! She won awards in the statewide Phi Beta Lambda business and leadership competition and was urged to consider additional degrees. “I figured it would be a good way to get a well-rounded education,” Patricia says, “and I decided to go for it!”

Patricia now holds three associate’s degrees, in Office Administration, Medical Office Administration, and Office Administration/Legal – and she’s not ready to stop! Patricia hopes to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at N.C. State University and eventually work in Human Resources. “I couldn’t have done it without Wake Tech!”

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