News

By Alex Freeman, MCC Communications Specialist

The journey to get a college degree can be different for everyone, as is the satisfaction level after the payoff based on what the person had to go through to get there. 

For Staci Laughlin (Sand Lake, Mich.), the culmination of her long-winding journey will surely bring a rush of emotion in the near future. 

Since starting college, Laughlin has attended three different schools, had multiple children, played a collegiate sport and worked in the medical field for over a decade. 

She started as a collegiate volleyball player at Olivet College, where she attended for three years. Laughlin then worked multiple jobs in the medical field, first starting out as a scheduler for outpatient therapy at Mary Free Bed. 

Laughlin’s interest in the medical field grew to the point where she decided to get her nursing degree. She attended Grand Rapids Community College in 2011 for nursing but, as life got more hectic and her plate continued to fill up, she left GRCC in 2012. Laughlin opted to certify as a medical assistant — a position she’s held down since 2012. 

The urge and desire to finish the nursing program always lingered in the back of Laughlin’s mind, prompting her to make a return to education a decade later. Laughlin was heavily considering going back to GRCC’s nursing program until she was informed of an alternative option. 

“When I found out I was in-district with Montcalm Community College, I was like, ‘Yeah, but I don’t know anything about that place,’ I wasn’t really open to it,” Laughlin said. “Growing up in Kent City and Sparta, I was close to Grand Rapids and GRCC had a really good reputation. But when I started looking into Montcalm and finding out more about them, I saw they also had a really good reputation for their nursing program.” 

Given Laughlin’s eligibility in the Michigan Reconnect program, which allows people of age 25 and older who have not yet completed their college degree to attend their in-district community college tuition-free, it made her give serious thought to enroll at MCC. But she didn’t know much about the college and was still unsure.  

So, she decided to drive to MCC’s Sidney campus on a whim one day, and it left quite a lasting impression on her. 

“I got there, I went into the main admin building, and everybody was just so friendly and right there willing to help me,” Laughlin said. “I remember leaving that day thinking, ‘This is it, this is where I want to be.’ Everybody was so friendly and so helpful, and it has that small community feeling.” 

Laughlin met with a counselor that day without an appointment, learned what courses she could transfer to MCC, signed up for pre-requisites online and applied to the nursing program. 

Laughlin is now in her second semester of the nursing program and her experience has been mostly positive thanks to the supportive staff at MCC, noting the positive experiences she’s had with professors Nicole Morris, Tabitha Keiffer and Kim Holt. 

“They’re all out there working in the medical field currently, so it brings a lot of real-life situations into what they’re teaching,” Laughlin said. “Some of my clinical instructors I’ve had have been fantastic, as well. They’re all nurses that are there working in the field as well and they really seem to be excited about what they’re doing; they love teaching and they’re amazing nurses. They are just such great examples.” 

Given her background, Laughlin enjoys the small campus feel of MCC and how it helps to connect her to the campus and the people who work there. 

“MCC has the small community feeling where you really get to know the staff well,” she said. “I don’t mean just the nursing program staff, even the people in the admin building and the other parts of the campus, everybody has been very warm and welcoming. You see a lot of the same faces; you get to know them and build relationships with them. Everybody is just really willing to be invested in your success. For me, personally, one of the biggest things I appreciate about Montcalm Community College is the community feeling and that support. Nursing school, in particular, is really hard and you definitely have to have a good support system.”