Some success stories are measured in diplomas. Others are measured in doors opened, patients comforted and students inspired. For Leland Bautista, a 2019 graduate of Houston City College’s Coleman College for Health Sciences, success includes all three—and perhaps a few remarkably detailed CT images along the way.

Bautista’s journey began in Cavite, Philippines, where he completed his initial radiography education before relocating to Houston. He arrived with healthcare experience, ambition and a clear goal: build upon his professional foundation and practice radiography in the United States.

HCC Coleman College provided the bridge.

“I have always known that I would work in healthcare,” Bautista explained. He entered Coleman’s Radiography program as an advanced-placement student, allowing him to strengthen his previous training while learning the standards, technologies and patient-care practices required in the American healthcare system.

Founded in 2004, HCC Coleman College offers degrees and certificates in more than 20 health-science fields. As a member institution of the Texas Medical Center, the college connects students with educational resources and healthcare environments that can turn classroom preparation into real-world opportunity. Its two-year Radiography program combines lectures, laboratory instruction and clinical experience, while its Computed Tomography Enhanced Skills Certificate offers additional preparation in advanced medical imaging.

 

For Bautista, Coleman’s appeal extended beyond equipment, laboratories and course catalogs. What impressed him most was the human touch.

He remembers receiving accessible information, timely responses and reassuring support throughout the enrollment process. Once classes began, Coleman staff members and Radiography instructors remained committed to helping students succeed.

That support mattered because healthcare education is not exactly a leisurely stroll with a stethoscope. It requires long hours, technical precision, emotional discipline and enough determination to keep going when the coffee has stopped cooperating.

Bautista’s motivation came from remembering his starting point.

“When I am tired, I always look back to where I started and see how far I’ve come,” he said.

That perseverance has produced an impressive career. Today, Bautista serves as a Diagnostic Imaging CT Supervisor at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He has also returned to HCC Coleman as an adjunct instructor of Computed Tomography, helping prepare students for the profession that changed his own life.

His journey is continuing academically as well. Bautista is pursuing a Master of Science in Radiologic Sciences, specializing in Medical Imaging Informatics, at the UT MD Anderson School of Health Professions, with an expected graduation date in 2027. The graduate program includes tracks in medical imaging informatics, administrative leadership and educational leadership—areas that reflect the expanding relationship between imaging technology, healthcare data, management and instruction.

Yet Bautista’s greatest satisfaction is not found in a title alone. He values helping patients during moments when answers, compassion and accurate imaging matter deeply. As a supervisor and instructor, he also finds fulfillment in mentoring professionals and watching students grow.

His story represents education at its best: knowledge received, opportunity earned and experience returned to the next generation.

For Houston’s international and immigrant communities, Bautista’s path carries an especially encouraging message. A degree earned in another country does not have to represent the end of a professional chapter. With the right institution, resources and determination, it can become the opening paragraph of an even greater American success story.

His advice to future students is direct: stay focused and use the college’s resources.

“My education at HCC Coleman College opened so many doors and opportunities in the radiology field,” Bautista said.

Now, as a healthcare leader, graduate student and HCC instructor, Leland Bautista is holding those doors open for others—and that may be the clearest image of success any technology could produce.

 

More info: https://www.hccs.edu/about-us/colleges/coleman-college-for-health-sciences/