A Place to Succeed
Meet a few of the students, alumni, faculty and staff who have found success at RIT/NTID.
Evelyn Wiggins
The human effort behind the development of drugs to combat cancer, arthritis, hepatitis, and HIV/AIDS is enormous. The contributions of every scientist, researcher, and lab and office technician in this important field of science play a role in the health and safety of mankind now and into the future.
At Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (HGS), a leading biopharmaceutical company in Rockville, Md., Evelyn Wiggins, 2004 Applied Computer Technology (ACT) alumna, works diligently and effectively as a document specialist in the Quality Assurance Document Control Archiving and Issuance group.
“I am not a doctor, researcher, or lab technician.” Wiggins says. “However, I have important responsibilities in maintaining all of the controlled document files in all HGS departments.”
As a member of the archiving team, Wiggins runs searches and generates database reports, tracks documentation through a review process, and provides customer support for designated areas or groups and distributes controlled documents.
“The database work I do applies to my background in ACT,” says Wiggins. “My work experiences as an RIT computer lab assistant gave me excellent cross-training that helps me work easily and effectively among computers, printers, copiers, and all of the related software applications.”
Mary Hufnagel, a supervisor in the archiving and issuance group at HGS, says, “Eve’s prior computer experience, her eagerness to learn, and her open and friendly approach led to her being hired. The company has several deaf and hard-of-hearing employees across the organization and an infrastructure in place to fully support them.”
Wiggin’s started her college career closer to home in Southern California, but transferred to RIT.
“At RIT/NTID I found a better life,” she says. “RIT is where I found other students who shared my dreams, especially in black and deaf cultures. Now, thanks to RIT/NTID, I have a good job and a happier life.”
From the Fall 2006/Winter 2007 issue of FOCUS magazine