Since transitioning from a postdoctoral fellowship at The Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology (Temple University School of Medicine) to an assistant professor position at The Community College of Philadelphia in 2011, I brought my love of scientific research to bear on this underserved community. To this end, I crafted several small grants that sought to train small cohorts of students to experience how scientific research actually takes place, as opposed to the “kitchen recipe” type labs most undergraduates experience. Furthermore, working with Dr. Linda Powell under several RISE and AMP projects, we created additional research opportunities to recruit and maintain minorities in the STEM field. When the opportunity to work with Dr. William Wunner of The Wistar Institute presented itself in 2018, I was excited to serve as the new academic coordinator of The Biomedical Technician Training Program. Although the program has been running now into its 20th year, I saw an opportunity to bring my unique skill set and experience to the program. Through my deep roots in the area, my experience with research and recruitment of STEM minorities, as well as serving as a community college professor, I saw an opportunity to provide training and access to STEM careers to people who might not ever have the vision or opportunity to pursue these careers. Many careers in STEM begin with a traditional 4-year college degree in the sciences, where little access to actual research takes place. This program serves to provide career opportunities with an Associate’s Degree to individuals who may not have the time or resources to complete a 4 year degree before beginning work in the field. Furthermore, it provides vital research experience to those pursuing higher education who were unable to access research opportunities during their previous education. Therefore, our plans are to collaborate with local, state, and national institutions to grow this program. To that end, the BTTP has developed the first apprenticeship program in biomedical research recognized at the state level in this country, where technicians can further specialize their skill sets. Our students have obtained careers in histotechnology, genomics, animal science as well as completed advanced degrees and terminal degrees enriched by their experience with the program.