February 14 is Cardiology Technologist Day and February is Heart Month. 
This month, we are celebrating the Heart Heroes of Algonquin College and sharing stories of our Cardiovascular Technology students and why they chose to work in heart care.
Meet Emma, a current student at Algonquin College. This is her story:
The Canadian Culinary Championship (CCC) is an annual national event that took place from Jan. 30 to Jan. 31 at the Rogers Centre in Ottawa. The winning chefs from 10 different regional qualifiers are gathered to compete in three challenging and entertaining competitions: Mystery Wine, Black Box and the Grand Finale. To be crowned the top chef in Canada at the CCC is a career-changer. The competition has yielded three previous winners from Ottawa. Continue reading
February is Heart Month. 
Meet Sarah Piper, a current student in Algonquin College’s Cardiovascular Technology program.
“I chose to explore a career in heart care because I found it super interesting. I have a bachelor’s degree from University of Ottawa with a major in history and I was an ESL teacher.
After working as a teacher for a few years, I realized that I couldn’t see myself teaching long term. When I decided not to continue with teaching, my parents suggested I follow in my dad’s footsteps and go into healthcare.
Healthcare for him was a second career. I took pre-health and that’s when I started looking into the different fields I could go into. I came across the Cardiovascular Technology program at Algonquin and was drawn to it. I started researching careers in the field, what it entailed, the different paths that would open up later down the line after completing the program and I was sold.
I don’t have much of a science or math background, and I never pictured being in a STEM field, but it challenges me in ways that I never expected.
I have learned so much about the heart, and health in Canada being in this program and I know there is still so much more to learn.
I find myself pushed in new ways, and I am so proud of my progress in the program. In the future, I hope to be able to blend some of my past experiences as an elementary school teacher and a cardiovascular technologist with the goal of working in pediatrics when I graduate in 2027.”
— Sarah Piper, Cardiovascular Technology student
Learn more about the Cardiovascular Technology program at Algonquin College.