By Dana Hudspeth, Media Relations Specialist
Chickasaw Nation Media Relations Office
Twin sisters Amanda Wittner, left, and Rachael Redman , both of Ardmore, are in their first year of the Chickasaw Nation School to Work program. Both ladies currently have a 4.0 in their courses this semester.
Twin sisters Rachael Redman and Amanda Wittner, 24, are in the midst of their first year of the Chickasaw Nation School to Work program and both students currently have a 4.0 in their courses this semester.
Rachael is the mother of a three-year-old daughter and a 13 month-old son.
Amanda and her husband Jeremiah, has a five-year-old son and is expecting a boy this month.
Both ladies live in Ardmore and work at the Chickasaw Nation Health Clinic in an On the Job Training (OJT) program.
Rachael is in her first year of Murray State College in Tishomingo, Okla., studying Nursing. She hopes to one day work as a nurse in Labor and Delivery or in pediatrics.
"I would also like to work on a Nurse Practitioner certification, which is a Master's degree," she said.
The single mother applied for the Chickasaw Nation School to Work program as a way to finish school and still provide for her children.
"It's the only way I could do all my clinicals, go to school, and still support my kids."
When she is not taking care of her children, she can be found in class in the mornings and at the Chickasaw Nation Health Clinic in the afternoon, where she works as a nurse's assistant.
Her job duties include taking vital signs and assessing patients, which helps her apply the knowledge she learns in the classroom.
She also has clinicals (where students follow a nurse and perform duties such as administering shots and IV's) at 6:30 a.m. at Mercy in Ardmore, so her schedule is very busy.
At night, she studies after her children are asleep.
Amanda is in her final year of Murray State and expects to earn an associate's degree in May, 2010.
"I hope to do medical coding, billing and transcribing from home."
She turned to the School to Work program, "To be able to finish my degree," she said.
Amanda stays busy as well.
"On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I have Internet classes in the morning and work in the afternoon. On Tuesday and Thursday I work all day. Of course, that could change next semester."
To study both ladies make up study guides for their courses.
"We both make our own practice test." said Amanda.
The twins attended high school in Porter, Okla., a small community located near Muskogee.
"We had 28 people in our graduating class," Rachael said.
Their father is Chris Redmond and stepmother is Dana Redmond; mother is Mary Gist and stepfather is Jeff Gist.
"We have a brother, James Redman, who is 26 and lives in Ardmore."
And what do they do when they are not studying and working?
"We like to sing Karaoke and are fans of the University of Oklahoma sports."
