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Forrest Zimmermann

2,165

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Bio

I've been in the IT industry since 1999 (does anyone remember modems?) and have recently decided to change careers and go back to school! I'm leaving a six-figure salary, my comfort zone, and everything I've known for the last 23 years behind. Help! Last summer, I started taking pre-requisite classes - Biology, Chemistry, A&P I&II, Med Terminology - and I completed them with a 3.7 GPA this past July 2022. These classes will allow me to apply for the Duke Cardiac Echo program, which is a nationally accredited one-year, full-time, allied health certificate program that will train students to become diagnostic cardiac sonographers. Update: I was accepted to the Duke Cardiac Ultrasound Program! Classes started in September of 2022 and I started clinical rotations in October of the same year. #Nervous! #Excited #WhatamIdoing? #Enjoyingtheprocess I'm currently serving in the US Airforce Reserves and just hit 10 years of service. In the AF, I'm in cyber security and boundary protection (firewalls, routers, switches, etc.). Beyond work and duty, I like to read and write (I'm slowly working on a novel), work out and exercise, read about history, both world and US history, and I like going out and meeting new people. I spent almost six years in Boone NC at Appalachian State where I earned a BS in Industrial Technology/Computers with a Physics minor. I miss it there! During my summers off, I worked as a camp counselor for kids ages 5-12 where I taught archery and athletics. It's still my opinion that adults should get summer off like kids :D

Education

Duke University

Master's degree program
2022 - 2023
  • Majors:
    • Medicine

Durham Technical Community College

Master's degree program
2021 - 2022
  • Majors:
    • Health/Medical Preparatory Programs

Appalachian State University

Bachelor's degree program
2000 - 2006
  • Majors:
    • Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians
  • Minors:
    • Physics

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Master's degree program

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Medical Practice

    • Dream career goals:

      cardiac sonographer

    • Network Management Operator

      US Air Force Reserves
      2012 – Present12 years
    • contract firewall engineer to the EPA

      Skyepoint Decisions
      2021 – 20221 year
    • Support Specialist

      Netfriends Inc.
      2006 – 202115 years

    Sports

    Lacrosse

    Club
    2001 – 20043 years

    Lacrosse

    Varsity
    1996 – 20004 years

    Awards

    • All-State 2nd Team

    Arts

    • Freelance

      Computer Art
      I produced digital art for sale and sold it online on zazzle.com; mostly landscapes and starscapes
      2002 – 2006

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      US Air Force Reserves — worked with retired vets to get to know them and help take care of them
      2015 – 2017

    Future Interests

    Philanthropy

    Christina Taylese Singh Memorial Scholarship
    Have you ever become frustrated with a printer? Maybe you experienced high blood pressure when you couldn't connect to that server? I used to fix those problems and myriad other network, computer, and cyber issues during my 20 years in IT. After so many years I became burned out and exhausted with IT but more importantly I felt unfulfilled. Depression set in. I despaired about my future. My income was high and my mental health was low. A thought slowly grew in my mind: I could go back to school. The thought terrified me. During my time in IT I supported numerous clinics at Duke University Hospital. My thoughts began to gain cohesion and purpose. I researched options and different career paths in healthcare. During this period I looked primarily at the physician assistant and the cardiac sonography careers. After speaking with my prior contacts I made during my time at Duke, I finally decided that the cardiac ultrasound graduate program was the right choice. It felt right. Now long after deciding, I realized without actually being cognizant of it, that I had just committed - albeit only to myself at the time - to go back to school. Soon after I enrolled in classes at Durham Technical Community College in order to meet the prerequisite class requirements. Classes included Anatomy and Physiology 1&2, general chemistry, medical terminology, and general biology. After a year of working and taking classes, I applied to the Duke Ultrasound Program and a few months later I received a letter of acceptance. I submitted my two week notice to my employer, took out a home equity loan in order to live on and pay for school, and went on a seven day cruise as a reward to myself! In part I chose the cardiac ultrasound path as the physician assistant course required a lot of chemistry. Honestly, I'm awful at chemistry! Mainly however, I felt I could help patients in a greater capacity as a sonographer. Sonographers are the eyes for the cardiologists, giving them a window in each person's heart and in many cases, sonographers save lives due to their skill and knowledge. I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to connect with people and assist in their care. I now have a new excitement when I wake up in the mornings that I didn't have in IT. And more importantly I feel like I'm making a difference.
    Healthy Living Scholarship
    Our bodies will ultimately fail us. Everyone ages, but not everyone ages the same way. Living a healthy lifestyle can assuage the effects the passage of time has on not only our bodies, but our minds as well. Doing so isn't a panacea, but it does increase the odds that living a long active life is possible. I worked in healthcare IT for 15 years at Duke Hospital and during that time, I saw the negative effects that obesity has on people. Living a healthy lifestyle decreases my footprint on the healthcare system, which is already overwhelmed as evidenced by the short time doctors have with their patients. Obesity has increased alarmingly over the last three to four decades and it's only getting worse. Eating healthy increases my energy during the day; I don't feel lethargic or tired. Exercising - which for me includes Orange Theory Fitness twice a week, running, and working out in my home gym - increases cardiovascular fitness and strengthens the heart muscle. Just like other muscles of the body, the heart needs a workout too! Mental health is often overlooked. I've been talking with a therapist for over six years now. She has helped me through tough times, times when I was really struggling with relationships, loneliness, and other issues. For me, a healthy lifestyle includes both physical, mental and spiritual well being.
    Bold Wise Words Scholarship
    "To be in the world, but not of the world" - Accept what comes to you, know that we are passing through, and our real selves are our souls. Acceptance is the hardest lesson we have to learn as our minds constantly tug our attention outwards, wanting and desiring. Be yourself, for when you repress who you are fundamentally to make others happy or not to disappoint, you only succeed in making yourself miserable.