Lab Assistant II

Toni-Ann Walters is a Lab Assistant II at Valencia College.

Where did you attend college?
Valencia College

What degree or certificate(s) do you hold?
I completed an A.S. degree in biotechnology and an A.A. degree in biomedical sciences, and the BACE credential from Biotility. I currently attend the University of Central Florida and am pursuing a bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences.

Where are you currently working?
Valencia College, when I'm not working in the lab, I serve as a proctor for the BACE to ensure this wonderful opportunity is available to more students!

What is your job title?
Lab Assistant II

What you do for your job?
My day to day duties include: culturing cells, passaging cultures, making media and other solutions, prepping rooms for future labs, and a lot more fun and interesting tasks.

What helped you the most in starting a biotechnology career?
Earning the BACE credential allowed me to show further proof that I had the ability to perform duties needed of me and that I had the knowledge and knew the reasoning behind what needed to be done, pertaining to my job at Valencia. It also gave me the opportunity to work as an exam proctor for the BACE. After earning the BACE credential, I found I was better prepared for research as I knew much of the background knowledge behind laboratory duties.

What do you like best about this career?
The best thing about my job is that I can work at my own pace with little to no supervision and I am trusted to get the job done.