Respiratory Care Student Says Scholarship Helped Immensely

Mollie Babbitt is a third year student at Kalamazoo Valley who started out taking prerequisites before she was accepted into the respiratory care practitioner program. She just started her second semester in the RCP program. In addition to being a full-time student, she works as a general medical unit clerk at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo.

Kalamazoo Valley was the best choice for her, the 2018 Allegan High School graduate said. “Back when I was deciding where to go to college, I knew I wanted to start out local and pursue something in the health care field, but I knew nursing wasn’t for me,” she explained. The impressive reputation of Kalamazoo Valley’s respiratory care program and high employment rate among program graduates were big selling points.

Babbitt also received a scholarship from Kalamazoo Valley, the James Wm Taylor Respiratory Care Scholarship. “I was honored to have received the scholarship because Kalamazoo Valley doesn’t offer a lot of scholarships strictly for respiratory care students so it meant a lot that I got it,” Babbitt said. “I’m always thankful for any scholarship I receive because I pay for my books and tuition all by myself. Thanks to Kalamazoo Valley and the scholarships and financial aid that they offer, I’m able to pay my tuition and be debt free so far in my college career. It’s definitely helped me as a student and I’m thankful.”

Babbitt started her RCP studies and her work at Bronson just prior to the start of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. She said adapting to rigorous safety measures at work and online learning through the college has been challenging. “I love my job and it was really hard and scary at first, but we’ve all adjusted to the new normal,” Babbitt said. And while her RCP class was the first class to receive instruction remotely, Babbitt said it’s going well. “The instructors have been more helpful than I expected,” she said. “There’s always someone there to help. My first (RCP) class was completely online and I was scared to learn that way, but it went way better than I thought it would because of the instructors. All of the instructors are super helpful and accessible.”

Babbitt attended orientation via Zoom in August and had an in-person lab class during the fall semester, but still hasn’t met all of the 18 students in the class that will graduate in May 2022 with an Associate of Applied Science in respiratory care. “We do talk in group chat a lot,” she said.

The pandemic has made her even more determined to complete her studies and begin working in the respiratory care field. “So many facilities are short staffed when it comes to respiratory care,” Babbitt said. “Knowing that there’s always a need makes me want to do it even more. I know there’s always going to be a need.”

Scholarships truly can change lives. Please consider making a gift to the KVCC Foundation for student scholarships. Send your tax deductible donation to KVCC Foundation, P. O. Box 4070, Kalamazoo, MI 49003, visit https://www.kvcc.edu/foundation to donate online or call 269.488.4821.

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