-Name and hometown:
Kristy Andrus from Baton Rouge, LA
-How would you
describe yourself as a person?
I am an individual who someone would enjoy getting to know.
Being Deaf and going through barriers in life made me who I am today, and that
said, having a disability has made me very strong and determined to do anything
I want to do. I am also a big time cat-lover.
-Job
title/specialization?
I am currently a MLT Generalist. I want to obtain my MT
license soon and would like to specialize in Hematology/Oncology in the future.
-What got you
into the field of Clinical Laboratory Sciences?
I love Science and anything that is medically-related as I
had been exposed to hospitals settings my entire life. I love what I do because
I am helping people by being part of the medical team even though I don't have
much patient interaction.
-What has been
the highlight of your career thus far?
Being a generalist in various departments, I'm able to gain
valuable experience in the core laboratory while most med techs are assigned to
only one department. I am discovering which department interests me the most
and focusing on what I will want to specialize in.
-What makes
you diverse?
I am Deaf, and I believe this makes me diverse because it
shows that anyone with a disability can do anything he/she puts the mind to do.
A lot of Deaf people are put down constantly with negativity about what they
can or can not do. I am diverse because as a deaf individual, I am making a
difference.
-How has ASCLS
impacted you?
I am not very actively involved nor know how to be in ASCLS.
However, I would say it impacted me quite well as I was the secretary of a
student forum a few years ago and being asked to do a few things for ASCLS
recently definitely has made me feel like I can be part of the voice. This was
seen as an opportunity for me to show that it doesn't matter if I'm Deaf,
because people see through me and that my broken ears do not matter.
-What is your
favorite part about the job?
My most favorite part of doing what I do is that I'm doing
something medically-related that is helping people. I'm such a medical nerd. I
also really love doing differentials in Hematology, seeing what's in the urine,
and what's growing from various sources that had been collected from someone's
body.
-Your biggest
achievements or proudest moments, both in your career and normal life:
My biggest achievement was overcoming an obstacle. The
obstacle of discrimination. I am now finally able to do what I enjoy. I've
fought a lot of different battles of 'You can not' in the past to prove myself
to get a chance. And people still doubted my ability. If you are never given a
chance to do something in life from people, then how can they assume you can
not do it?
-In your eyes,
why should people join ASCLS?
I think people should join it because you never know what
opportunities could arise from it. And it is always so great to be active in an
organization that is the voice of the clinical laboratory profession.