Growing up, Chantal Armenta always liked science, and her desire to help people led her to study biology and laboratory sciences. Now, she's taking her brand-new degree from Wichita State to work as a medical lab scientist for Ascension Via Christi.

Chantal is one of more than 1,200 students eligible for fall 2025 graduation. Learn more about her time at Wichita State and what's next for the grad.

Bachelor of Science in medical laboratory sciences

Dodge City, Kansas

Dodge City High School

I previously earned my first bachelor's degree at Fort Hays State University. It was a B.S. in biology education.

When I was growing up, what I wanted to be often would change. I've always wanted to do a little bit of everything, ranging from health care to owning a bakery. One idea that always did stick with me was some type of science career. Growing up, I always liked science and knowing how the human body functions. I think that and wanting to help people really led me to choose the career path that I chose.

I moved here from Dodge City because my husband found better work opportunities here. I spent my first year living in Wichita as a high school biology teacher. When I decided that I wanted to pursue other careers, I saw the WSU Medical Laboratory Science program as my opportunity. WSU has one of the few MLS bachelor's programs in the state, and I was lucky that my husband and I relocated to a place that fit my career needs.

I received the Southcentral Pathology Scholarship after my first semester in the MLS program. This scholarship essentially covered all tuition for the last two semesters the program. The scholarship I received helped tremendously. Since I have already gotten a bachelor's degree, my only option to pay for school was to pay out of pocket and take out loans. This scholarship has lifted a tremendous financial burden off of my shoulders and has really allowed me to focus on school.

The last semester of the MLS program is a 16-week clinical rotation. Throughout the 16 weeks, I was able to rotate among chemistry, hematology, urinalysis, blood bank and microbiology areas of the lab to get hands-on experience. I completed my clinical semester at Ascension Via Christi-St. Francis. I had a great experience with all of my preceptors, and I am glad that I had the opportunity to work with such great people.

Enjoy your time as a student. It really does fly by. Life may not always work out the way you want it to, but the journey really makes you see how life works in mysterious ways. Keep going and stay strong. You are capable of anything you set your mind to!

I plan to begin working at Ascension Via Christi-St. Joseph when I graduate. I will be employed as a medical lab scientist and working as a generalist. This means that I will be rotating throughout all of the areas at St. Joseph, which will be a great experience as a new tech.

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 25,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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