Gary Nelson (Class President)
My name is and Gary Nelson. I live in a Rocky Gap, VA. I am Vice President of a
local bank. My wife, Dorothy and I are blessed with a daughter Kim and a
son-in-law Quentin. We have two wonderful grandchildren Tanner and Kylee. Some
of my accomplishments throughout the years are as follows: Bachelor of Science
degree in Business Management from Bluefield College, Master of Science degree
in Business Education from Radford university: former adjunct Professor at
Wytheville Community College and former member of the Bland County Board of
Supervisors. My classmates recently elected me to be their class president. I
enjoyed hunting, fishing, sports, reading and quality family time.
This has been my goal for a long time and thanks to SVCC and Tina Fleming my
goal is finally becoming a reality.
Sandra Hubbard, CNA (Class Vice President)
I am married and have two sons, ages 25 and 18. I am a native of West Virginia,
and after living away for fourteen years, my husband and I moved back to this
area about a year ago. I completed the CNA course last December and I am
currently employed at a long term care facility.
My goal is to complete this program and seek a career in respiratory therapy. I
am unsure of a particular area that I will focus on at this time.
Debbie McHaffa
I live in Bluefield, WV with my husband Michael and our son Steven, who is
attending Bluefield State College. We also have a daughter in Knoxville, TN and
she is attending Rhone State College. I am a Secretary at BRMC in the Physical
Occupational Therapy Department. I am looking to find out more of the
opportunities available in the respiratory therapy field.
Darryl Miller
I work at Bluefield Regional Medical Center and have been there for 23 years. I
am a buyer in the materials department and have been a buyer for almost 6 years.
I have two girls (Morgan-12) and (Haley-9). They are my pride and joy! My
favorite pastime is 4-wheeling, I love deer hunting and just getting outdoors.
Lori Meadows
My name is Lori Meadows, and I live at home with my mom and dad. I have an older
brother who is married. I am currently working at Walmart in the 1 hour photo
lab. In my spare time I enjoy hanging out with my friends.
After I get my associate degree in respiratory therapy, I would like to get my
bachelor’s degree, and then maybe my master’s degree.
Heather Eldridge
My name is Heather Eldridge. I am currently a phlebotomist at Bluefield Regional
Medical Center. I am 29 years old and I am from Princeton, WV. I have been
married for 7 years and have two daughters which are 6 and 4 years old. I am
very interested in becoming a respiratory therapist. After I complete this
course, I want to complete my four year degree in respiratory.
Lana Vaughan
Occupation: Medical Coding-Abstracting Clerk
Focus in Cardiopulmonary Sciences: I am working toward an associate of science
degree with a major in respiratory therapy.
Long term goals: After earning my degree, I would like to further my education
in sleep studies and pursue a career in that field.
Family: I am married to my husband Jerry. We have a daughter, Lauren, Who will
be 14 in December and a Bassett Hound, our family pet. My life is centered
around my family.
Hobbies: I enjoy activities with my family, as well as cooking, gardening, and
reading.
My desire to work in respiratory therapy is a desire to give my care and
attention to those in need of it. I feel that this career choice will allow me
to offer a better quality of life to the patient as well as my family and me.
James Evans
Hello, I am James Evans, but everyone calls me Jim. I have been married to my
wonderful wife, Cathy, for sixteen years and we have a twelve year old son,
Nathan and a daughter, Bethany, who is seven. We have always lived in Bluefield
and enjoy raising our family here. As a family, we enjoy the outdoors, camping,
picnics, and dirt bike riding.
Over the past 20 years, I have been employed by the Bluefield Beverage Company
in Bluefield, VA. I have contemplated a career change over the past two years
and decided upon respiratory therapy. I plan to continue to work full time as an
industrial mechanic at Bluefield Beverage as I train to become a Respiratory
Therapist.
April Dawn Bailey
Occupation: Office Clerk for State Electric Supply.
Focus in Cardiopulmonary Sciences: Obtaining an Associate of Science Degree with
a Major in Respiratory Therapy.
Long term goals: Once I complete my degree in respiratory therapy can find a job
in my field, I want to further my education in sleep studies.
Family: I am married to Jimmy Bailey, my husband of 15 years. We have no
children but I do have a toy poodle named “Midnight”. She’s the only baby I
need.
Hobbies: I enjoyed horseback riding, motorcycles, water activities, singing, and
spending time with my family.
Kristen Evans
My name is Kristen Evans and I am 24 years old. I have one child who just turned
two years old and his name is Jayden. I am a single divorced mother and I
support my child alone. My son Jayden is my inspiration to become a respiratory
therapist. I work at Bluefield Regional Medical Center and have worked there for
four years now. I work as a Physical Therapy Tech, and I love what I do. My
dream one day is to become a physical therapist but that is not possible for me
right now at this point. My mother worked as a respiratory therapist for twenty
years. From my knowledge being in a hospital now for four years, I have had the
opportunity to learn about different fields of work in the medical field.
Respiratory therapy is very interesting to me and I like how the respiratory
therapist plays a big role in the hospital today. There are so many things you
can and will be able to do and I like that instead of just having one or two job
duties to perform every day like some jobs in the hospital. Respiratory
therapists are very important people in the medical field and these are just a
few of the reasons I want to become a RT.
