Katie Reigelsperger started at The Excel Center-Anderson in October of 2013 with zero high school credits after giving birth to her first son at the age of 13. An exceptional student, Katie seized all of the opportunities The Excel Center offered her and graduated in June 2014 with 42 credits and two industry-recognized certifications, including a pharmacy technician certification.
Katie began her career as a pharmacy technician with Riverview Hospital and quickly rose to a managerial position that allowed her to supervise and train other pharmacy technicians. Through her experience over the past five and a half years, Katie realized she wanted to teach and believed she could create a larger impact on students’ lives if she started her teaching journey at The Excel Center.
“Helping others to learn, grow, and reach their goals has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Katie “I am proud to be part of changing the path of generations to come and I am in awe of the men and women I have met through this opportunity.”
This led to Katie founding her own business, KLR Pharmacy Technician Training School, which has been so successful that she left her managerial role to operate it full time. Katie began teaching her first pharmacy technician cohort in the 2019-2020 academic year and has continued to grow the program. With help from participating Excel Center locations and the TalentSource team, Katie’s first cohort coincided with The Excel Center’s shift to an even more rigorous classroom. This experience provides students with the knowledge and support to pass the national pharmacy tech exam and become nationally certified. Those who become nationally certified can expect to earn an average of two dollars more an hour when entering the field.
In addition, the TalentSource team has worked closely with Katie’s students to handle the logistics of licensing and making valuable employer connections in the regions where students reside, including externships exclusively available for TalentSource participants in some counties.
Even before the onset of COVID-19, Katie had been serving students across multiple Excel Center locations throughout Indiana by implementing a distance learning model. She also uses social media platforms, Google Classroom, and daily interactions using texts and phone calls to ensure her students’ success. While teaching, Katie continues to serve as a full-time manager at Riverview Hospital and has also begun to serve participants of other Goodwill programs, such as Goodwill’s Nurse-Family Partnership and returning graduates of The Excel Center who want to earn additional certifications.
Recently, Katie, was able to hire Lauren Liphard, a graduate from The Excel Center in Noblesville, to be a part of the Riverview pharmacy technician team. Katie saw that Lauren’s journey mirrored her own experience at The Excel Center and was thrilled to be able to bring her on board.
“Lauren's work ethic, goal-oriented mindset, and positive attitude are admirable traits that make any employee great,” said Katie. “She has far exceeded my expectations and I am proud to call her both a co-worker and a friend.”
Katie is a true example of what can happen when a person's desire to learn and improve is given an opportunity with an assist from Goodwill. Her career journey highlights how Goodwill’s wraparound services and support reach across multiple Goodwill programs, with both school and Goodwill program staff working collaboratively to ensure students have a path to success.
Update: KLR Pharmacy Technician Training School has helped over 250 individuals earn their Certified Pharmacy Technician credential, which is a nationally recognized certification. Additionally, KLR is now offering certification courses in medical coding and billing and Certified Clinical Medical Assisting. KLR currently has a staff of five and teaches in six states. Katie is also in the process of earning her workplace specialist license through Ball State University.
