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News Release

IWV

Matt Wanta Joins Cerro Coso Full-Time Faculty

September 26, 2012

Cerro Coso Community Colleges welcomes Registered Nurse and now full-time faculty member for Health Careers Matt Wanta. Matt grew up in Wisconsin and enlisted in the Army right out of high school where he served as a helicopter mechanic and combat medic during Desert Storm. He also served in military intelligence and as a technical inspector for the Apache attack helicopter. His time in the service took him to some exotic destinations including the Netherlands, Germany, France, Iraq, Kuwait, and Israel.

When Matt separated from the military he performed a variety of jobs trying to find his niche in life, including: truck driving, construction, and working for a publishing company. But none of these careers were as fulfilling as his job as a combat medic. His compassion, big heart, good people skills, and ability to think on his feet were far better suited to the health care profession. So Matt went back to school on the G.I. Bill and earned his Bachelor's in Science with specialty in Nursing from the University of Wisconsin.

The day he graduated he walked home, shaved his head, and traveled west to Oregon where he worked as a nurse in the Open Heart Wing, Emergency Room, and Intensive Care Unit. His journeys as a traveling nurse took him to hospitals and nursing facilities in Oregon, Wyoming, and California.

Matt has been adjunct teaching clinical courses for Cerro Coso's LVN program for the past three years. As a full-time faculty member, Matt will be assisting in the development of course curriculum for new healthcare programs and courses at the college as a result of the TAA Grant the college received to expand health career offerings. He is teaching a new course this fall in "Electronic Health Records" online.

Matt and his wife, Angel, have four children: Anthony (12), Marcus (10), Alyssa (9), and Micheal (3). Most of their spare time is spent with family activities. His children are active on swim teams and they travel regularly for meets. Matt is currently working on his Master's Degree from Walden University.

For further information, please contact Natalie Dorrell, Public Information (760) 384-6260