For years, Ella had always wanted to be a veterinarian. She loved the idea of making a difference for animals. She planned to go to SEMO for pre-vet and transfer to Mizzou for the doctorate program. But like many of us seniors, we feel pressure deciding what we want to do after graduation.
Ella’s mom, Lindsay, scheduled a tour, and until the day came, Ella was so excited. Her Mom said, “How do I say she hated it without saying she hated it?”
When questioned on the issue, her dad spoke up, “We were really shocked at how disappointed she was by the tour. She didn’t even want to finish it; she was so upset.”
It was not what she had expected at all, and the fact that the school she had been dreaming of going to her whole life did not live up to her expectations angered her to the point that she didn’t want to talk about the tour for weeks after. She had still planned on being a Vet, just maybe not at Mizzou.
However, plans changed for her when she started cadet teaching here at Potosi Elementary School. In her free time, over the summer, between her freshman and sophomore years, she would babysit her cousins to help out her aunt. The thought of teaching someone something and helping them grow as a person led her to switch from veterinary services to teaching first-grade students.
This switch was huge for Ella and made her question what she really wanted to do with her life. She decided to take a breath and step back to look at all the possible outcomes. For a while, she had no idea what she wanted, and it felt like her world was crashing down around her.
“It was so stressful not knowing what I wanted,” She confessed, “I felt like everyone was expecting me to know exactly what my future was going to look like at just 18 years old.”
One night, senior Ella Pashia was researching occupations she was considering for her future, when her dad came home from the chiropractor’s office with some unexpected news. He told her that Mike Henson was looking for a massage therapist. In that moment, everything seemed to click for her. She knew it was a good opportunity, and the idea had always interested her, even as a child.
She started researching massage therapy and looked into how it would benefit her financially and align with her career goals. She and her grandma went to talk to Mike about the schools he recommended and the costs. So Ella called the director and scheduled a tour at St. Louis Med Tech. She talked about getting a tour for months and was very excited to see this opportunity come to life. When the day of her tour finally arrived, she fell in love with the place where she would soon fulfil her dreams of being a massage therapist.
Generally, massage therapy training programs require a high school diploma. In Missouri, most students complete massage therapy training in less than 12 months through online/hands-on formats. Massage therapists usually make $67,235 a year. Typical fees for massage therapy normally range from $5,000 to $30,000, depending on the school. For a vet tech’s degree, you would have to complete two to four years of schooling. To teach, you have to go through school for four years and get a bachelor’s degree, complete a teacher preparation program, complete a student teaching experience, pass exams, apply for an initial professional certificate, and consider a master’s degree in teaching.
She’s excited to work with people and help them relieve their stress. “I know it will take a while to get through school, but the time it’ll take to get where I want to be will be well worth the wait,” Ella states in her excitement.
