As a teenager, Brittany Penland dreamed of one day being a teacher. But choosing a career wasn’t easy, as the 30-year-old mom also felt drawn to technology and the healthcare field. These days, the ambitious A-B Tech alumna has crafted a life that combines her interest in the human body, technology, and teaching. She spends her days as a Lead Laboratory Scientist at Keystone Laboratories, Inc., in Asheville, and evenings teaching in A-B Tech’s Medical Laboratory Technology program.
Penland first came to A-B Tech in 2015 to complete the Phlebotomy certificate program. She went on to enroll in the Radiography program, but soon learned that it wasn’t for her. “I don’t understand physics,” she said.
She was working as a phlebotomist at the time and, in one of her clinical rotations, saw a medical lab technician working on a sample. “I asked, ‘What are you doing?’ And she showed me. She said she went to school for this at A-B Tech.”
Penland then enrolled in the Medical Laboratory Technology associate degree program and found it a great fit. In her role as Lead Laboratory Specialist, she uses machines to test samples, often fixing the machines herself when they break down. As someone who loves technology and using her hands, she enjoys her role.
“I like being able to work on the instruments and fix the machines, she said. “I learned that on the job.”
Penland enjoys being behind the scenes, helping doctors get the answers they need to help patients. She also loves paying attention to details, solving puzzles, and using information to make discoveries.
While in the Medical Laboratory program, Penland also discovered she could combine her love for technology and teaching. Many of her instructors had bachelor’s degrees in medical laboratory technology and worked during the day while teaching at night.
“They were able to give real-life examples of how the material related to patients. I related to them so much,” she said.
Intent on following in their footsteps, Penland enrolled in an online Medical Laboratory Science bachelor’s program at the University of Arkansas, where she was able to transfer her credits. While in the program, she and her husband also had their first son. Looking back at that time in her life, Penland marvels that she was able to juggle being a wife and mom, along with working and going to school full-time. She graduated in 2024 and has been working at Keystone ever since.
Penland is glad she persisted. She began teaching in August, two nights a week at A-B Tech, and loves it. After working in the lab all day, she finds it refreshing to work with students in a microbiology class who are making new discoveries.
“I love being there (in the lab) when they get to identify things for themselves,” she said. “They say, ‘I saw this; is this what I think it is?’ And I get to be able to say, yes, that’s exactly right!”
As someone who loves to keep learning, Penland has signed up for a Medical Coding certificate at A-B Tech in the spring. Adding these skills will allow her to interact and communicate with laboratory staff in medical billing and code more efficiently.
Being back in the classroom has made her realize she’d like to teach more at A-B Tech. “I want to gain more teaching experience, and maybe one day I will do that as my only thing,” she said.
Learn more about A-B Tech’s Medical Laboratory Technology program at Medical Laboratory Technology.