Before Kim Lavine began at GateWay, she was working in a high stress, customer service call center. After years of constantly feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, she made the decision to quit her job and begin a new career she was passionate about.
“I was tired of going to work in such a high stress job. I had a passion for massage and decided I wanted to help people get relief from their stress.”
At the encouragement of her friends and family, Lavine began the tedious task of looking into different schools and program options. She had reservations about re-careering at the age of 52, but she was encouraged by GateWay’s “how can we help you succeed” attitude.
Lavine shares, “right from the start I was impressed by the professionalism and knowledge as well as the overall cost of the program.”
Lavine was nervous about going back to school but credits her instructor Michael Tapscott for much of her success.
“He proved to be an amazing teacher. He taught us how to think outside of the box and taught us techniques that set me apart from other therapists. I loved the immediate hands-on experience from day one.”
When asked what piece of advice she would give to current students Lavine had this to say,
“Believe in yourself and don’t over use your thumbs!”
Lavine currently works as a licensed massage therapist and hopes to one day own a studio. She looks forward to becoming a teacher and mentor so she may offer graduates an opportunity to work and build their own successful practice.
To learn more about the Massage Therapy program visit: https://www.gatewaycc.edu/massage-therapy.