Name: Lori Winsor Shinn
Profession: X-Ray technician
Location: Her home in Phoenix, Arizona
Question: What brought you to where you are right now?
Answer: It was meant to be
The follow conversation took place on Facebook (and has remained unedited so as to preserve the nature of the conversation). Please let me know if you feel I cheated by allowing my subject the benefit of written responses, or if you feel this is a fair way of conducting an interview:
9:53pm Sierra
Could I ask you a (couple of) question(s) for a project I'm doing? It should be really quick. I'm nearly falling asleep studying for midterms and I have to get an interview by the end of the night....
9:54pm Lori Winsor Shinn
Oh of course!!
9:56pm Sierra
Okay. Well I have this blog, and its entire concept is that I interview one person a year, beginning with the question "Why are you here?" This would be the first interview I've ever done virtually, so I guess the question would be "What brought you to where you are right now?" You can answer the question however you'd like (but the more you elaborate, the better).
9:57pm Lori
HAHA Okay I will do my best. :)
9:58pm Sierra
That's all I can ask! (And thank you! You're saving my butt tonight!)
9:58pm Lori
Do you want to know what brought me to this point in my life?
I would help you anytime!
9:59pm Sierra
Sure! That's a great approach.
10:04pm Lori
I am where I am today because of my family..my husband Todd and two awesome kids, Lexi and Alec. I have been blessed to have the freedom from my family to pursue my dreams of becoming a xray tech. While going to school my family had to basically function for 2 years without me. School kept me away from the everyday happenings of family life. I feel like I missed out on two years of their lives. However, my husband did an awesome job with not only being dad, but mr. mom too.
I am not done yet....hope this is okay
10:06pm Sierra
That's great! When did you do this? Do you have any regrets about taking these particular two years off?
School started 10 years ago, just on a part-time basis. I started with pre-reqs, just trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I knew I needed to do something for me, for up until then I was a stay at home mom. So while my kids were young, I took one class a semester. After two years of random classes I decided xray school is where I wanted to be. Finally, 6 years after taking a class here and there I entered xray school. Xray school was 2 years of full time. Clinical hours consisted of over 1900 hours. However when the degree was presented, it as the best feeling!
Lori
The one thing I regret is not making a decision sooner as to what I wanted to do. Going to college full time when I am mother and wife is extremely tough. Besides, learning as an adult is completely different then learning as a young person. I do not regret my career choice, I regret not doing it sooner.
10:12pm Sierra
How do you like it? Is being an x-ray tech everything you thought it would be? (And what does that entail, exactly?)
Lori
Being an xray tech consists of performing xrays on patients with whom a doctor as requested a specific exam. It could be as simple as an arm or foot, or an stomach xray involving live xray. Live xray being a patient is swallowing a dense barium material and live xray is watching the patients stomach absorb it and pass into their intestines. I am very happy with my job as an xray tech. It is very rewarding to perform xrays on all kinds of people. No two patients are alike.
Sierra
That's so interesting! You said it took you a while to figure that out, though. What would you have pictured yourself doing now twenty or thirty years ago? Was there any job you had planned for or had dreamed of having that was put on the back burner after becoming a mom?
10:23 Lori
Right after high school I wanted to go to a fashion merchandising college in long beach ca. However my parents were divorced and my dad would not help my mom out so I did not go. I ended up working in a restrauant until I moved to AZ. I often considered what it would be like to be a travel agent. I LOVE to travel, and I still think about it. However the satisfaction I get from helping my patients is so rewarding. I consider my first and most important job is being a mom. My kids will and always have come first. I really think my life has followed the way it was meant to go. There is plan for everyone, we just have to let it happen.
Sierra
Would you consider that a life philosophy of yours? That we're all destined to fulfill a certain role that has already been decided for us?
Lori
I never really thought about it being a philosopphy of mine, but it does sound pretty good. haha I do believe there is a destiny for all of us, it is just whether or not we chose to seek it.
Things happen for a reason, sometimes we understand the reason, other times we will will never know the reason for the way things play out.
Sierra
Okay. I think I understand. That can leave us pretty helpless, then, can't it? I mean, if the tide is going to throw us whichever way it may, what point is there in swimming?
Lori
haha very true. you are sooo cute!
I always look it as you can sit around and feel sorry for yourself, or you can go out and do something about it.
Sierra
Influence the tide, if you will?
Lori
yes, chose your destiny!
go with the tide, or keeping fighting against it until you can no longer chose your destiny
Sierra
Okay! I see. Well, Ms. Shinn, is there anything you would like to add?
Lori
Sierra....it's Lori silly! :):):)
Sierra
Haha. I don't like to assume....
Lori
Did I help? I hope so! Always do what you know is the right thing to do, follow your dreams, and destiny is sure to follow!
Sierra
That's wonderful! You definitely did help. And you can check out this interview at 365debuts.blogspot.com within the next two hours. I'm always looking for more people to interview, so if you have any suggestions for me after you take a look around, I'm always here and will be excited to hear from you!
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