Dominque Gates is a registered nurse today because of a teacher who went to great lengths to help a student in need. “Going to college was something my mom always encouraged. I knew I wanted to be a lawyer or a nurse,” said Dominque “In the 10th grade I learned about the medical tech programs.”

Tech prep programs, such as the medical tech prep curriculum at Perry Local Schools in Massillon, Ohio, give high school students a technical education in a field of their choice, but with the kind of rigor that prepares them to pursue a college degree.

After successfully completing her junior year at Perry, a tragedy occurred in the life of Dominque Gates. Her mother died in spring 2003. All she had after her mother’s passing was her sister, then age 24 with two children. “I could have easily drifted off the other way,” Dominque said. But a teacher stepped up to offer her comfort and guidance. The teacher was Jan Zak, one of the founders of the medical tech prep program at Perry. The teacher offered comfort to the student at her mother’s funeral, and that led to a deeper commitment by Mrs. Zak to Dominque’s success in college and life.

Dominque Gates is a nurse today in part because of the help she received from Perry Local teacher Jan Zak

“She knew that I could go far in life, and she hated to feel like I would miss that chance when my mom passed away,” said Dominque when recalling Mrs. Zak. “She had three sons but no daughters, so maybe I was the daughter she never had. … I think I was someone special to her.”

Continuing with the medical tech prep program in her senior year, Dominque worked two jobs as a nursing assistant. She chose Wright State University in Dayton for her nursing education. Mrs. Zak drove Dominque to freshman orientation. Then, within days of her departure for college in Dayton, Dominque’s car broke down. She says she drove to Dayton anyway, in a car Mrs. Zak bought for her.

Dominque graduated from Wright State in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She has begun her nursing career at Grandview Medical Center in Dayton where she works on the medical-surgical unit after completing a 12-week residency program.

In the fall of last year, Mrs. Zak died from cancer. Dominque returned to Canton for the funeral. One of Mrs. Zak’s colleagues at Perry, guidance counselor Sue Heppner, reflected on Jan Zak’s life in a piece she wrote that was published in The Repository. By reading it, you will learn that Dominque is not the only student profoundly affected by teaching and friendship of Jan Zak. But in reading about Mrs. Zak’s concern for Dominque, you probably are not surprised.