Introduction

Background:

    My name is Preston Howard, I am 20 years old, and I was born in a small rural community called Seward, Nebraska. Although I was born in Nebraska, I have spent the majority of my life here in Fargo, North Dakota, and it is the place that I consider to be my home. During the summer months I love to be
outside as much as possible. I enjoy doing things like biking, gardening, taking my dog for walks, swimming, and grilling. During the winter months I love to ice skate, snowboard, and bake.

Professional Life:

    I currently work as a parking ambassador and administrative assistant in downtown Fargo for a company called Interstate Parking. There I oversee the maintenance and other essential operations within four parking garages and three surface lots. It is also my responsibility to act as a middle man for upper management and some of our larger corporate partners who use our facilities for employee parking. Working for this company has given me a unique set of skills that I do not believe I could have obtained working for anyone else. While it may be stressful at times trying to balance my professional life and my academics, the skills I have gained from my job will make me a successful member of any healthcare team in the future.

Academics:

    My job keeps me busy, but I also am pursuing a degree in Radiologic Sciences from NDSU. Radiology has been a topic that has always been extremely interesting to me. During my years in elementary school I broke several bones, and seeing all of the advanced technology within the radiology department immediately sparked my interest. Another point that was enticing to me when considering this specific degree was the amount of directions that I could potentially go with it post graduation. For example, if immediately after graduation I wanted to work in interventional radiology, I would still be able to work in any other radiology specialty or modality down the road if I decided that I wanted to do something new. This will be my last semester of college coursework in the classroom at NDSU, but I will be completing a two year internship within a hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in order to graduate with my degree.