CCBC's Karen Bordenet trains the next generation of histotechnicians
Instructional Specialist II – Histotechnology/Medical Laboratory Technology
The window ledge in Karen Bordenet’s office is lined with gifts from her students—stuffed animals, trinkets, notes of thanks. A heart-shaped plaque engraved in her honor, lovingly purchased by one cohort, hangs permanently in the hallway of the Diane Eustis Center for Health Professions at CCBC Essex.
Over the past seven years, Bordenet has led CCBC’s Histotechnology program with a rare mix of rigor, humor and heart. A former histotechnician at Johns Hopkins, she came to CCBC to design the kind of hands-on program she once wished existed.
“Back when I was a student, we didn’t have an on-campus lab,” she says. “They just threw you in, and you had to figure it out on the job. I wanted to create something better.”
At CCBC, students spend their first semester in a state-of-the-art lab, embedding tissue in paraffin, slicing it with precision on a microtome, microscopy and learning core staining techniques before starting hospital and lab rotations. By graduation, they’ve practiced many special stains and immunohistochemistry techniques used to help diagnose everything from cancer to bacterial diseases.
The program is demanding, but Bordenet keeps it engaging. She builds lessons around games like “Jeopardy!,” hangs student-created stain illustrations on the walls and stocks a red box with the full-sized versions of her students’ favorite candy bars.
“I try to keep it fun and interesting,” she says, “There is a lot of homework, but it prepares them to pass the board exam on their first try.”
And they do. The program has had a 100% board certification pass rate six years in a row. Employers take notice, offering many graduates jobs right out of school.
“It’s a perfect job for introverts who want to work in health care but not directly with patients,” Bordenet says. “And the demand for qualified histotechnicians is high.”
The job also offers opportunities for career advancement. Histotechnicians with a few years of experience in the field can be offered generous sign-on bonuses or travel positions that cover housing and transportation.
In 2025, the program began offering a hybrid option that lets students attend lectures online while completing labs on campus. Regardless of the format, Bordenet’s goal remains the same: to prepare students for meaningful, in-demand careers in this critical field.
“When our students leave CCBC, they hit the ground running,” Bordenet says, “They know what they’re doing, and we’re really proud of that.”