Kenneth 鈥淜at鈥� Chipps didn鈥檛 finish high school with an ironclad plan. Like many students, he graduated with an idea of what his future would look like, only to find that path shifting once he got here. What followed was a process of exploration, persistence, and discovery.
The search led him to healthcare, and eventually to Carlow. While his first attempt at finding the right fit didn鈥檛 go as planned, he stayed, drawn in by the community he found on campus: 鈥淚 knew I wanted to stay at Carlow.鈥�
With the guidance of faculty and a willingness to keep exploring, Kat found his place in the Behavioral Neuroscience program and began preparing for a career in intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring, a field focused on making surgery safer in real time.
Just weeks after graduation, Kat was already working in hospitals across the Pittsburgh region, applying what he learned in the classroom directly in the operating room. In our conversation, he reflects on finding the right path, the support that helped him get there, and how his time at Carlow shaped his career and his confidence.
What led you to Carlow?
I originally thought I was going to study computer science when I was in high school. But once COVID happened, I started to realize that sitting behind a computer all day was not really the life I wanted for myself.
My mom is a nurse, so that pushed me to start looking into healthcare. That led me to Carlow through the nursing program. It didn鈥檛 end up working out the way I expected, and for a little while I felt kind of stuck trying to figure out what to do next. But I knew I wanted to stay at Carlow. I liked the environment and the people there, so I started looking into other options.
How did you end up in the Behavioral Neuroscience program?
I ended up talking with Dr. Ammer in the biology department, and he really helped me explore different paths.
We looked at a few options, and I landed on neurophysiology with the intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring specialization. Once I got into it, I realized it was exactly what I was looking for. It gave me a way to stay in healthcare and still be involved in what鈥檚 happening during procedures. I have loved it ever since.
For those who might not be familiar, what does that field involve?
During our final year, we complete an undergraduate clinical where we rotate through hospitals across the Pittsburgh area, mostly through UPMC.
In that setting, we are working in the operating room and learning how to聽monitor聽the nervous system during surgery. We use different techniques to track things like motor function, sensory pathways, and brain activity depending on the type of procedure.聽The goal is to make surgery safer. We are there to help聽identify聽any potential issues in real time so the surgical team can respond right away.
What was your experience like at Carlow?
I struggled a lot in the beginning, especially when I was in the nursing program. There were definitely moments where I was not sure if I was going to make it through college at all. I was not a very outgoing person. But being here pushed me to get more involved. Over time, I started to feel a lot more confident in myself.
The biggest thing for me was how connected everything felt. Carlow is small enough that you really get to know people. I got involved in a lot of different things. I had a bunch of work study positions. I worked in the nursing lab, the cadaver lab, and with Advancement. I was also part of Trio, did first year experience work, and helped start a games club.
Dr. Frank Ammer, Dr. Amy Romesberg, Michael Martucci, Dr. Allison Rice and Mark Barsic from the Biology and Chemistry departments, everyone from Trio, Janet Guidas in Advancement, Meredith Webber in First-Year Experience, and Dr Stephen Calme in Theology – all these faculty and staff members have made an impact on me personally and each of them mean a lot to me not only as mentors but as colleagues.
I am the first person in my family to graduate college, so there was a lot of pressure, and at times it felt overwhelming. But Dr. Romesburg, Dr. Ammer, and others really pushed me and helped me stay on track. They did not let me fall behind, and they helped me figure things out.
What are you doing now?
I started in January with the same company I completed my clinical experience through. I鈥檓 working in hospitals across the UPMC system, including Presbyterian, Montefiore, Mercy, and Children鈥檚. It still feels a little like I am in school because the work is so hands-on and you are constantly learning, but now I am doing it as part of my career.
It feels great to already be working in the field I studied.