When Melinda Mutter was working as a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) at a hospital in Southwest Virginia, the long hours, never-ending patient requests, and overflowing list of to-dos were exhausting. That’s when she started talking with the phlebotomy technicians—the trained medical professionals responsible for drawing blood…
From choosing classes to finding the right financial aid, navigating community college can be overwhelming. Luckily, Virginia’s Community Colleges have career coaches on campus to help students get started, access funding, stay on track of coursework, and connect with local employers hiring in the area. …
*Editor’s Note: This article was originally published online on Laurel Ridge Community College’s website. You can see the original article here. Aidan Gould enjoyed the hands-on training he received at Laurel Ridge, and he couldn’t seem to get enough. That’s when he decided to go back…
Tiffany always envisioned working in healthcare and felt on track to make her dreams a reality when she started nursing school at Eastern Mennonite University. Then, she had to take a break from school: in her own words, life got in the way. As a single…
How often do you think about your city’s infrastructure? Probably not a ton, but it plays a critical role in your daily life. Infrastructure deserves more of your attention, as reliable, efficient structures are the backbone of a well-functioning society. Well-fitted pipes, functioning electricity in residential…
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published online on Laurel Ridge Community College’s website. You can see the original article here. When she graduated from high school in 2021, Jazmine Sebestyen knew she wanted to work in the medical field in some capacity. After her family…
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published online on Laurel Ridge Community College’s website. You can see the original article here. Aaron Winfree has turned to Laurel Ridge Community College several times when he’s needed to upskill. He’s earned an associate degree and multiple credentials from…
For a lot of new moms, dealing with the late nights and the demands of a newborn can be taxing enough, but for Princess, in her postpartum period, she decided she wanted to start her college journey by pursuing the certified nursing aide program at Mountain…
Preparing to go to college can make anyone nervous, even the best of us. But for Kashna, going to college meant assimilating into a culture that was still fairly new to her, while also learning and studying in her non-native native language. Kashna immigrated to the…
Going back to school to earn a credential while being a mother to three young children is no easy feat. But for Heather Owens, she was determined to find a new career path after briefly working as a nurse during the onset of COVID-19. The grueling…