After years of service to his country, Dustin Constante has found a new calling: helping others through some of the most critical moments of their lives.

Constante, 42, of Oklahoma City, is a former U.S. Marine and Army National Guardsman. He is training to become a surgical technologist — commonly called a “Surg Tech” — at Canadian Valley Technology Center.

He expects to complete the program this summer and hopes to work at a Level 1 trauma hospital like OU Medical Center, possibly specializing in cardiology.

For someone who has already given so much, Constante’s next mission is clear: to stand alongside patients during their darkest hours,” he said.

Surgical technologists are essential members of operating room teams. They are responsible for sterilizing and re-supplying equipment, prepping the O.R. for surgery and assisting surgeons and nurses during procedures by handing them instruments and supplies.

CV Tech’s Surgical Technology program is open to adults and operates year-round at both the Cowan (Yukon) Campus and Chickasha Campus. Immediate enrollments are available at both locations. Three pathways to Surgical Technology certification are covered more in-depth at cvtech.edu.

Constante’s sense of teamwork and duty was forged during his military service. He served as an infantry rifleman in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2001 to 2006, deploying on missions including security operations in Bahrain.

He later joined the U.S. Army Reserves and transitioned to the Louisiana Army National Guard, where he served as an infantryman, recruiter and master fitness trainer. His service included multiple hurricane response deployments and a year-long tour in Iraq. He retired in 2017 as a staff sergeant (E-6) following a medical discharge.

Constante credits the supportive environment at CV Tech for helping ease his transition to civilian life.

“This school is veteran-friendly,” Constante said. “Other veterans need to know they can use the G.I. Bill or the Veteran Readiness and Employment (VRE) program to cover tuition.”

The school also offers free counseling services to students, a resource Constante said has been invaluable.

“The staff’s professionalism and their willingness to help veterans like me has been important,” he said.

For Constante, the training is more than a new career — it’s a way to continue serving others, just as he always has.