National Park College Respiratory Therapy students Amber Ashburn and Mitchell Beard were recently awarded the Lawrence Respiratory Foundation's Professional Achievement in Respiratory Care scholarship for the semester.
The award is a $1,500 scholarship and was established to support senior students in the Respiratory Therapy program, according to a news release from NPC. Scholarship recipients are required to have a minimum 3.0 GPA, participate in an interview and application, along with an essay.
Lawrence Foundation President Gretchen Lawrence presented the awards to an audience of Respiratory Therapy students during a ceremony July 25.
According to the release, Ashburn said this scholarship "means she can put more of her efforts into studying." She said the most rewarding part of her work is watching patients recover.
Beard said the scholarship means he can spend more time focused on his studies. Beard explained his experience after his wife's aortic aneurysm five years ago, where she spent three weeks in a cardiac intensive care unit and endured months of respiratory therapy as a result. Beard credited the work of the respiratory team for "greatly improving" her quality of life following the incident.
Both Ashburn and Beard will begin their careers in respiratory care and have practiced their skills at Saline Memorial Hospital in Benton. Ashburn and Beard will graduate in May 2020.
School on 08/18/2019