Category: Learning

SC4 adds respiratory therapy program to growing list of health sciences offerings

St. Clair County Community College is offering a new Associate in Applied Arts and Sciences degree program in respiratory therapy, with courses beginning in the fall 2019 semester. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, careers in respiratory therapy are projected to grow 23 percent through 2026, much faster than the average for other occupations.

SC4’s 24-month program combines classroom and practicum experiences in hospitals, outpatient testing facilities and physician offices to give graduates the knowledge and skills they need to enter the field as licensed respiratory therapists.

“Respiratory therapists are in demand across the country, so we’re very excited to begin offering this program to our community,” said Christine Robinson, director of respiratory therapy at SC4. “Earning an associate degree is an essential step to become a respiratory therapist. Our hands-on curriculum in a personalized learning environment will give SC4 graduates and those students transferring on to attain a four-year degree a real advantage.”

St. Clair County Community College is currently in the process of seeking the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC) provisional accreditation for the respiratory therapy program. However, St. Clair County Community College can provide no assurance that accreditation will be granted by CoARC.

SC4’s respiratory therapy program is now accepting applications for the fall 2019 semester, which begins Monday, Aug. 19. Students interested in the program must submit required application materials by Sunday, June 30. Detailed information, including how to apply, is available online.

SC4 Experience Center enhances interactive learning opportunities, welcomes traveling fossils exhibit

PORT HURON – St. Clair County Community College’s 16,000-square-foot Experience Center continues to evolve, recently enhancing interactive learning opportunities in its Innovation Center and welcoming “Fossils of the Michigan Basin,” a traveling exhibit by paleontologist, author and storyteller Joseph “PaleoJoe” Kchodl.

The Innovation Center — located within the Experience Center — is now home to a growing number of STEAM-based interactive displays, 3-D pens and technology, a circuit center, a coding station and a virtual reality simulation that make learning fun for students of all ages.

Two images of the Experience Center, one of the Innovation Center and the other of a green screen.

“Guests to the Innovation Center now have the ability to shift energy flow through batteries and light bulbs, create video games and programs through coding and JavaScript, design three-dimensional objects with a 3-D pen and much more,” says Becky Gentner, SC4 executive director of budget and project management, who mentioned the Innovation Center is available via scheduled appointments and field trips. “We are thrilled to expand our offerings and welcome more exciting exhibits for our community.”

“Fossils of the Michigan Basin” is a Michigan-based traveling exhibit featuring fossils of creatures that lived in the Devonian Period of Michigan, long before the age of dinosaurs. It includes Brachiopods, Gastropods, Cephalopods, Prehistoric armor-plated fish and corals, and even a piece of limestone from the thumb region that was touched by a glacier in the last ice age. The exhibit is located in the Experience Center’s Dr. Bassam H. Nasr Natural Science Museum, which is home to the largest collection of fossil artifacts in the Michigan thumb region.

“Michigan at one time was the bottom of an ancient salt water sea,” says PaleoJoe. “Visitors to this exhibit can go back in time when Michigan abounded with creatures of the sea — a time when certain fish species grew to more than 30 feet long, and a time when coral reefs broke the surface of the water creating lagoons filled with life. It is a wonderful way to introduce the public to fossils that can be found right here in our state.”

Three images of the Experience Center, 3D station, exhibit, and Virtual Reality station.

Opened in the fall of 2018, the Experience Center is a hands-on STEAM center that features unique and evolving exhibits, an augmented reality sandbox, a live sturgeon exhibit and more. Recently, SC4 and the Community Foundation of St. Clair County announced a Tarbosauras skeleton cast gift from the SC4 Foundation and two Community Foundation donor advised funds. The Tarbosauras skeleton cast will join a collection that includes a woolly rhinoceros skeleton replica, and T-Rex and Mastodon skull replicas.

The Experience Center is open to the public and is a growing regional field trip destination thanks to a collaborative partnership with the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and its Unity in Learning initiative. For more information on scheduling a visit, please send an email to experiencecenter@sc4.edu.

SC4 student Kristyn Franzel named Michigan’s 2019 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar

St. Clair County Community College student Kristyn Franzel has been named Michigan’s 2019 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar and will receive a $2,250 scholarship.

New Century Transfer Pathway Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, activities, and how they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom. Over 2,000 students were nominated from more than 1,200 college campuses across the country. Only one New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar is selected from each state.

The program is sponsored by The Coca-Cola Foundation, the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, Phi Theta Kappa and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).

“We congratulate Kristyn Franzel for receiving this prestigious scholarship, and we are honored to partner with the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation and the AACC to recognize her outstanding achievements,” said Phi Theta Kappa’s President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner. “Scholarship programs like this are integral for creating opportunities for two-year college students to succeed and for putting college completion within reach.”

The New Century Transfer Pathway Scholars will be recognized at Phi Theta Kappa’s Presidents Breakfast in Orlando, Florida, on April 15 during the AACC Convention.

“I am beyond blessed for this opportunity and to be bestowed the honor of New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar,” Franzel said. “St. Clair County Community College and Phi Theta Kappa have held such an important place in my life and being affiliated with them will be crucial to my success in the future.”

A Sandusky High School graduate and Clyde, Michigan, resident, Franzel will soon graduate from SC4 with an Associate of Science degree and has plans to transfer to Oakland University to pursue a mathematics degree with a specialization in secondary education.

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of community college students to grow as scholars and leaders. The society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 10 nations. Learn more at ptk.org.

International students find a home at SC4

Caio Rodrigues and Ada Baanrud left their homes in Brazil and Norway to find family, friendship and education thousands of miles away in Michigan’s Blue Water Area.

Rodrigues grew up in cities across Brazil, from Recife and Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo and Manaus, where his parents and younger brother now live. With ambition to learn the English language, he decided to come to the United States for his senior year of high school through an exchange program with CETUSA.

“My parents always wanted me to come to the U.S. — they knew what it would mean for me,” Rodrigues said.

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Caio Rodrigues

He arrived at Port Huron High School in August 2017, staying first with the Lowe family and moving in with his current host family, the Santillanos, a few months later. Adjusting to life as an American high school student in a small town came with challenges, but Rodrigues knew it was where he needed to be.

“In Brazil I always lived in big cities, so Port Huron was new for me,” he said. “I spoke very little English when I arrived. I was worried that I would never learn, but I knew I just had to wake up in the morning and get back at it.”

As his senior year at PHHS went on, Rodrigues’ English steadily improved. He even started learning Spanish at home with help from the Santillanos, complementing his native Portuguese to help him develop multilingual skills.

When the time came to think about life after high school, like many students, he sought guidance from family. Rodrigues’ mom and brother made a surprise visit to watch him receive his high school diploma. During their stay, they decided to check out St. Clair County Community College.

“My host mom talked to us about how nice it would be to stay in Port Huron, where I already had a support system and wouldn’t have to start all over again,” Rodrigues said. “Then my mom and I went to SC4, and after speaking with [international student specialist] Bonnie Romzek, I decided to stay here.”

As Rodrigues explains, the college’s new student housing was a major factor in his decision to stay in town. He started at SC4 in August 2018 as one of the first students to move in to SC4’s residence hall, The Dock.

“I love living here,” Rodrigues said. “My roommate has been so nice and helpful, and it’s given me the chance to connect with different people. Everyone wants to learn about me, my life and my background — it’s really nice. It’s also great being right downtown and just steps away from the movie theater.”

In his second semester at SC4, Rodrigues is thriving as he pursues his associate degree in general studies and settles into his first job at the college’s bookstore. “I took it slow the first semester, but now I’m trying to expand, network and put myself out there,” he said.

After earning his degree, Rodrigues hopes to further his education and start a career as a film director.

While everything about the region was new to Rodrigues, Ada Baanrud already knew it was where she wanted to be — 40 years ago, her mother was part of a Norwegian student exchange program that brought her to Croswell, Michigan.

“It was an incredible experience for her, and that always made me want to do it,” Baanrud said. “When I applied for my exchange program, I asked to be placed close to Croswell.”

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Ada Baanrud

Baanrud came to the country in 2016 to complete her senior year at Port Huron Northern High School. She quickly became close with her host family, the Olsens, who live in the city and have hosted other exchange students over the years.

“I’m used to being by the water growing up by the Oslofjord in Norway, so I really love being in Port Huron,” Baanrud said. “I love hanging downtown at the restaurants and cafes, boating in the summer and just being part of this community.”

Baanrud has built lasting connections during her time in the region, traveling the country with the Olsens and even reconnecting with her mother’s host parents in Croswell, whom she affectionately refers to as “grandma and grandpa.”

After graduating from PHN, Baanrud went back to Norway for a year, only to return last summer to prepare for fall classes at SC4.

“I knew I wanted to go to college in the U.S., and my host parents were excited to welcome me back, so starting out at SC4 just made a lot of sense,” she said. “The campus is clean and beautiful, walkable and convenient. I thought when I first came here I would have a hard time adjusting, but I’ve really enjoyed it.”

Baanrud is trying to earn as many affordable credits as possible before transferring to Western Michigan University next fall, where she’s earned a scholarship to study marketing and international business. She hopes to use her multilingual skills in French, Norwegian and English to find a career in the corporate world or diplomacy.

With their different backgrounds and experiences, Rodrigues and Baanrud appreciate the support they’ve received at SC4.

“Bonnie Romzek and [SC4 registrar] Carrie Bearss have helped me navigate challenging processes like getting my license and setting up my classes,” Baanrud said. “And my instructors provide such a personalized classroom experience. They’re approachable and you know they care about your success.”

Rodrigues notes that patient professors and student support services like the Writing Center have been invaluable.

“I know I can talk to my instructors at any time. They understand the language barrier and they’re always willing to work with me,” he said. “I’ve also enjoyed the Writing Center. It’s been a great place to get help with my homework, brush up on my grammar and even get a stronger grasp on the English language.”

Students come from all walks of life to study at SC4, finding community and a sense of belonging in a unique setting — one that’s become home for two students crossing continents on their paths to success.