Featured photo: Front row: Tyrus Knox, Kalyn Kelly, Kimberly Buff, and Clay Vinson. Back row: Leigh Angel, Dean of Health Sciences; Amanda Towns, Clinical Coordinator; Morgan Henry, Program Director, Southwestern Community College; Noah Jones, Satellite Program Director; Tim Dean, Dean of Health Sciences, Southwestern Community College. Photo by Rich Keen.
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On May 13, 2026, Blue Ridge Community College celebrated four Respiratory Therapy graduates at its inaugural ceremony in the Steven D. Wyatt Auditorium in the Patton Building on the Henderson County Campus. Offered exclusively on the College’s Transylvania County Campus, the program launched in fall of 2024 in partnership with Southwestern Community College.
Designed to provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge to become licensed respiratory therapists, the program is helping to fill an important need in the local healthcare workforce. Nationally, demand for the profession is expected to increase by 12% by 2034. Furthermore, in 2026, U.S. News & World Report rated Respiratory Therapy #4 among the nation’s Best Health Care Jobs.
Dr. Connie Wolfe, executive vice president of programs, welcomed attendees to the ceremony before Dean of Health Sciences Leigh Angel led the Acknowledgement of Faculty portion of the ceremony.
Instructor and Program Director Noah Jones said the ceremony was not just a celebration of achievement, but also a celebration on endurance.
“Respiratory therapy school is not easy,” Jones said to the graduates. “It is academically demanding, clinically challenging, and it asks students to grow very quickly — not just in knowledge and skill, but in judgment, professionalism, and confidence.”
Class President Kalyn Kelly provided student remarks, and graduate Kimberly Buff presented the Preceptor of the Year award to Jill Barchuck of Mission Children’s Hospital.
Jones presented student awards to the following students:
Academic Excellence Award – Kimberly Buff
Excellence in Clinical Practice Award – Kalyn Kelly
Excellence in Patient-Centered Care Award – Clay Vinson
Excellence Through Discipline Award – Tyrus Knox
Program Clinical Coordinator Amanda Towns led the pinning of the graduates before Jones guided the class in reciting the Respiratory Therapist’s Oath, bringing the ceremony to a meaningful close. The oath concluded with a commitment that reflected the profession’s core values: “I will represent the profession of Respiratory Care in a manner that is ethical, responsible, and worthy of the trust placed in me. I accept the responsibility of this profession and dedicate myself to the health and well-being of those I serve.”
Transylvania County Campus Director Jessica Edney reflected on the origins of the program and its growth in serving students and the community.
“The Respiratory Therapy satellite program in conjunction with Southwestern Community College was created to make entry into this vital healthcare field smooth for our students and to launch their careers in respiratory therapy,” Edney said. “As the first graduates of this program, these students are not only supporting our community through healthcare – they are blazing a trail.”
The new program continues to gain momentum, with seven students now advancing into the second year of study and expected to graduate in spring 2027.
Information about Healthcare programs at Blue Ridge Community College – including Respiratory Therapy – is available at www.blueridge.edu/healthcare.
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