Outstanding Surgical Technology Graduate Justine Bowser Proves It’s Never Too Late to Return
Being a wife and a mother of two with a full-time job left Justine Bowser with a busy schedule. The demands on her time certainly didn’t lessen when she decided to return to school at Owens Community College.
Now as an outstanding graduate in the Surgical Technology program, Bowser hopes her story can serve as an inspiration for other people considering whether or not to return to school.
“College is a hard journey in general but it felt extra hard for me sometimes,” she said. “I had two kids, a job, clinicals, class, homework, maintaining my home, being a wife, coaching and getting my son to baseball and dance for my daughter. On top of that, I had hip surgery in the middle of my second clinical rotation.
“My family has kept me going. My husband was picking up extra hours to accommodate me not working, still maintaining the house and the kids, and then taking care of me during my surgery. There were a lot of times where he had to convince me that I could do it.”
Bowser went to a community college after graduating from high school in West Unity but decided to take time off. Family soon took center stage, with a first child born in 2014 and a second four years later. When her children both entered all-day school, she decided to go back to school.
When browsing the program list at Owens, Surgical Technology stood out to her. Preparing for her career in the lab at Owens gave her experience she couldn’t gain anywhere else. In fact, preceptors have praised the high levels of preparedness Owens students display when they enter the workforce, according to Bowser.
“It’s the perfect setting for the students to learn how it is in the OR (operating room),” Bowser said. “After my lab course, I felt so prepared going into one in a real clinical setting.”
After being a stay-at-home mom for a decade, Bowser now can’t imagine not working in an operating room.
“I just hope people reading my story can relate. Life is busy and hard for everyone but as long as you have your people, you can do it. Don’t ever give up. You’ll make it,” she said.
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Published May 2026