July 31, 2024 — The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) announced the three Registered Technologists (R.T.s) who earned honors in this year’s I Am the Gold Standard program. They are:
• Arianna Apodaca, B.S.R.T., R.T.(T)(ARRT)
• Wayne Stenzel, R.T.(R)(MR)(ARRT)
• Patrick Wojtylak, M.H.S.A., R.T.(R)(N)(ARRT)
About the Honorees
Arianna Apodaca is a radiation therapist at Austin Cyberknife, a cancer treatment center in Austin, Texas. At age 19, Ariana was diagnosed with Stage II Triple Negative Breast Cancer. While managing to complete both her degree in radiation therapy and undergo successful treatment, she began speaking publicly about early detection. Arianna is HBCU intern coordinator for Touch, a Black Breast Cancer Alliance. She recently was awarded her company’s Shining Star Award for providing exceptional and compassionate work while treating cancer patients.
Wayne Stenzel is a senior MRI technologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. For more than 40 years, Wayne has dedicated himself to patient care, mentoring colleagues, and advancing the MRI profession. Currently a team member in a complex interventional MRI practice, Wayne provides meticulous attention to safety protocols and works diligently to develop new sequences that improve image quality and patient experience. His contributions have contributed to the growth of the MRI practice since it started in 2009.
Patrick Wojtylak is a radiologic technologist at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. As manager of nuclear medicine for the health system, he oversees quality and safety efforts across 14 hospitals, a quaternary care academic center, and two dozen outpatient imaging facilities. Patrick’s efforts have led to an impressive level of quality and consistency in nuclear imaging across the enterprise. He is regarded as an outstanding teacher and trainer of technologists, an exceptional mentor and patient care provider, and a staunch advocate for the nuclear medicine profession. Patrick’s career spans nearly three decades.
About the Awards Program
A committee of R.T.s on staff at ARRT select the I Am the Gold Standard winners. The three will receive a cash prize to use toward their professional or personal development goals. Each year, the honor goes to R.T.s who meet one or more of the following criteria:
• Quality and Safety: They’ve led or significantly contributed to research that measurably improves patient care.
• Patient Experience: They’ve consistently provided stellar patient experiences that exceed expectations, and/or they’ve led patient experience efforts that resulted in measurable improvements.
• Advocating for the Profession: They’ve shown a substantial commitment to the profession by leading a volunteer effort or by achieving significant accomplishments while volunteering.
For more information: www.arrt.org
November 02, 2026 
