In opening their own massage therapy business, EVIT alumni Katherine Lozano and Anthony Lopez have combined two passions -- a love for helping others and their love for each other. The pair met when they were students at the East Valley Institute of Technology in 2016. Today they are co-owners of AZ Therapeutic Massage and engaged to be married.
“I am so grateful to have found my partner in life, and it was all thanks to EVIT that we even met,” Lozano, 22, said. “Anthony and I share the same appreciation for massage therapy, and it has been a wonderful and surprising journey of personal growth for both of us. We continue to make an impact in our community’s physical and emotional healing.”
Massage Therapy is one of over 40 career training programs EVIT offers for East Valley high school students and adults. Lozano and Lopez enrolled in massage therapy when she was a junior at Chandler’s Basha High School and he was a junior at Mesa’s Mountain View High School.
“I would work every summer with my dad, and I also began to have a passion for skateboarding,” Lopez, 22, said. “I realized how tight and sore I would get … I realized how hard people work in this world and I wanted to know how I could make people’s lives easier to recover. So I got the idea of massage therapy.”
Lozano was interested in health and wellness and how to help people living with pain. “I love seeing someone making the first step towards their personal progress and well-being,” she said.
Students in EVIT’s massage therapy program learn Western and Eastern massage modalities, anatomy and physiology, pathology, hygiene, ethics and business practices. They prepare for state certification by completing hands-on training in the public clinic at the EVIT Main Campus.
The job outlook for massage therapists is excellent, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimating 32% growth by 2030. Once students are licensed they can work in a variety of settings such as medical practices or spas and resorts. EVIT students often become self-employed massage therapists as a way to help pay for college.
After completing her EVIT training, Lozano worked at local medical clinics while attending Mesa Community College and working toward a degree in kinesiology. Lopez worked as a licensed massage therapist at Massage Envy for four years, building his confidence and learning more skills.
“I wanted to start my own business because I began to realize the type of people I wanted to work with, and that is people with an active lifestyle,” Lopez said. “I understand these types of people because I’ve been through it too, whether you are experiencing shooting pains in your joints, annoying cramping in your muscles, or you deal with aches and pains on a daily basis.”
The couple started AZ Therapeutic Massage in Chandler earlier this year, helping active clients with demanding schedules learn to live pain-free.
“We communicate very well and have developed a great work relationship,” Lopez said. “We have been together for five years and learned so much from each other. Our love is strong and I’m blessed to be working with the love of my life.”
EVIT students have a 98% high school graduation rate, two out of three go on to college and 94% are in jobs related to their training, college or the military within a year of completing their program. Enroll today: www.evit.com/enroll.
Katherine’s and Antonio’s Career Paths:
- Completed EVIT Massage Therapy program in 2018
- Katherine worked in local medical clinics while attending MCC. Anthony worked at Massage Envy
- Opened AZ Therapeutic Massage together in Chandler
- Future plans: Operate successful massage practice
Get started on a career while in high school:
How to enroll in high school programs at EVIT:
- Complete and submit application online at www.evit.com/enroll
- Parents/legal guardians of new students will need an active email account to access and use the online registration system
- Upload attendance record, discipline record, current unofficial transcripts and proof of immunizations
- Admissions office will inform students via email once application is approved or if more information is needed
- EVIT is for all high school students – public, charter, private or home-schooled – who reside in one of 11 East Valley school districts: Apache Junction, Cave Creek, Chandler, Fountain Hills, Gilbert, Higley, J.O. Combs, Mesa, Queen Creek, Scottsdale, Tempe
- More information: Call (480) 461-4108
How to enroll in adult programs at EVIT:
- Schedule appointment to meet with an advisor by calling (480) 461-4110
- Complete online application form at www.evit.com/enroll
- Tuition rates vary by program. Apply for financial aid by visiting www.fafsa.ed.gov and using school code 035723
- Send questions about financial aid to [email protected]
- More information: Call (480) 461-4110