Alumni Profile
Robert DiBlasi, world traveler
Robert DiBlasi didn’t travel far from high school to SMCC to study respiratory therapy. Twenty years later, he’s a distinguished respiratory therapist who travels the world giving workshops and speaking presentations on respiratory care.
DiBlasi came to SMCC from Fryeburg Academy and earned his Respiratory Therapy degree in 1996. He’s now the manager of respiratory care research at Seattle Children’s Hospital, one of the top children’s hospitals in America.
The American Association for Respiratory Care has recognized DiBlasi for professional distinction, and he often travels overseas – most often to Egypt, Vietnam and India – to speak at conferences and lead respiratory care workshops.
He has co-authored a college textbook on pediatric respiratory care, written chapters in other textbooks and co-invented the Sea-PAP respirator, a low-cost respirator to treat premature babies in developing countries.
He says success is within reach for any student who is willing and able.
“I would say that if you want extraordinary results you have to live an uncommon lifestyle and commit yourself to your profession. Hard work can definitely pay off.”
Faculty Profile
Cheryl Rich, hands-on teaching
It’s no surprise that Cheryl Rich has several perennial gardens, a vegetable garden and a house full of plants at home. What else would you expect from the head of the Horticulture Department?
Cheryl is a Bangor native who taught high school English for 10 years before deciding that horticulture was her calling. She resigned from teaching, earned a degree in plant and soil technology (now horticulture) from SMCC, and became a landscaper. She was later hired as SMCC’s second full-time horticulture faculty member.
Now in her 14th year at SMCC, she believes in hands-on learning. She teaches the science behind the plants and lets students do hands-on work to apply what they’ve learned. Her students – there are 82 SMCC students who list horticulture as their major – come from all walks of life.
“All of our students want to be here and are excited about the subject matter. And they have such diverse backgrounds – they’re just out of high school, they’re retirees, and they’re everywhere in between.”