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Kansas City, Mo. (Apr 13, 2010) — After the devastating loss of her twin sister Stacey, Tracey Gerald turned to the fitness industry to keep her sister’s memory alive. She and Stacey had devoted themselves to athleticism since childhood, running road races and eventually joining the Marine Corps because of the emphasis on exercise and fitness. Without her sister by her side, she felt sad, unhealthy and lost, nothing like the woman who had run her first marathon at only nine years old.
Eventually, Gerald heard a voice in her head say, ‘Tracey, take control of your life; take your life back!’ She knew that through education to become a personal trainer, she could bring her sister’s legacy to more people than she could ever reach on her own. She began submitting inquiries to schools online, and after several disappointing responses, she received the email that would change her life.
"Within an hour of my initial email to Pinnacle Career Institute, Ms. Evonne Briones emailed me back. She was classy and eager to help me start my journey," Gerald said. “She didn’t bully me into beginning my paperwork and was never pushy. She guided me, assisted me and was always positive. She is the reason I enrolled at Pinnacle.”
Still on active duty with the Marine Corps and traveling extensively, Gerald was limited by her schedule, so Pinnacle Career Institute’s online Personal Trainer program was perfect for her.
“I love online classes,” Gerald said. “At first, I was a little intimidated about navigating the site due to the fact that I am older. But I found that whenever I was confused, I would simply submit a question via email. Every time I submitted a question, it was answered promptly. If the tone in my email was a bit urgent, I would even get a phone call. The support at Pinnacle is fantastic! Everyone, from the bookstore to the counselors to the success coordinator, is prompt and professional. I have never waited for an answer and I have never been ignored.”
Gerald began classes at Pinnacle in July 2009, and will be graduating with her Associate of Science in Exercise Science and her ACE certification in September 2010. Since enrolling at Pinnacle, she has started a career with Ms. Jan Tana, getting professional body builders and figure athletes stage-ready at major competitions.
“My last show was the world-famous Arnold Classic in Ohio. The top five Figure women all had Jan Tana color on, and I did every one of them!” Gerald said. “Then, I met Arnold Schwarzenegger and even got a picture with him and Ms. Tana. News spread that he was coming over the Ms. Tana’s booth, where I was working after tanning competitors for the night show. The atmosphere was electric! There I sat, smiling as people took pictures of me and Arnold, thinking to myself: ‘I have arrived. This is where I should be.’
“Everything I do, I do for my twin sister Stacey. She drives me. I am doing all the things that we were supposed to do together, when she was alive,” Gerald said. “My life is on track, and I see nothing but success in the future. I could not – would not – have done this without Ms. Briones’ sincere follow-up and interest in my future. Thank you, Ms. Briones!”
About Pinnacle Career Institute
For more than 50 years, Pinnacle Career Institute has provided quality career education in fields such as Electronics, Green Technology, Medical, Health and Fitness, and Business related programs. The school has two campuses in Kansas City, Mo., and one in Lawrence, Kan., in addition to online program offerings. To learn more about PCI, visit www.pcitraining.edu or call 816-331-5700.
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