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 Jennifer
Battles is a pre-dentistry student at the University of Oklahoma
with plans of becoming an orthodontist. Both choices are considered
to be non-traditional -unusual - career paths for a female.
"I have known that I wanted to be in the health field ever
since I had braces in the eighth grade," Battles said. "I
loved my orthodontist, and I am considering that occupation as
my goal. But first, I need to become a dentist."
Before she graduated from high school, however, Battles learned
the valuable lesson that sometimes it's "who you know"
that counts. She learned that lesson during a year-long internship,
coordinated through her high school's CareerTech marketing
education program with the Tahlequah City Hospital's Chief Operations
Officer, David McClain.
That's what makes Battles one of Oklahoma's CareerTech
Champions.
CareerTech Champions are alumni of Oklahoma's career and
technology education system's programs or student organizations
who have found success in a career. They attribute much of that
success to their CareerTech experience.
 "The hospital is about the
only place in the area where students can see all aspects of
careers," according to Gale Gish, Tahlequah High School
marketing education instructor. "It really does 'take a
village' to provide opportunities for our students."
McClain is also in charge of marketing for the hospital. That
was the link that Gish was looking for when she placed her student
with him. He served as Battles' mentor for a year.
While McClain's chief responsibility is
to oversee the administration of the hospital, it doesn't end
there.
"David also puts together a monthly publication, needs photos
and news releases written about new doctors, and gathers data
for the hospital's web site," Gish said. "This provides
great opportunities for student interns like Jennifer."
McClain's involvement in community service kept Battles busy,
too.
"Mr. McClain was president of Kiwanis and the Tahlequah
Chamber of Commerce," Battles said. "The year I worked
with him, he developed the Kiwanis mentorship program between
the Job Corps and local businesses, and he put me in charge of
linking students with mentors. He just said, 'Here it is - you
do it.'"
Charged with gathering information from students and businesses,
Battles helped build 20 mentoring partnerships between students
and local business people that year.
 She's the first to admit that
her hospital internship will pay off in the future.
"I met with people I might not have met otherwise, like
local legislators," she said.
Although she admits to loving chemistry essential for a
dentist the marketing and business skills she learned in
high school are also necessary to meet her goals.
"My dream is to start fresh with my own practice,"
Battles said. "And, when I open, I'll need to know how to
run it. I'll be using the business and marketing skills I learned
in high school - and from the year I interned with David McClain."
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