Student Spotlight
Kendra Cummings, 2nd Career
Kendra Cummings worked for nearly 20 years as an event coordinator and a hotel manager when she decided she wanted a change. When she graduates next spring, she’ll start a new career as a respiratory therapist.
In her previous career, Kendra reached a point where she was feeling empty and wanted something where she could feel like she was making a difference. So she enrolled in SMCC’s Respiratory Therapy program.
It’s not easy raising four children, working part-time and attending college at the same time. But she’s now doing her clinical training at a top-notch hospital and hopes to transition to a full-time job there once she graduates.
“I’ve come to realize I love what I’m doing and I’ve found my passion. SMCC has given me a direct path to what I really want to do.”
Faculty Spotlight
Julie Mueller, Political Science
When teaching Political Science, Julie Mueller makes her class materials relevant to students by showing them how politics affects their everyday lives.
Her students work on case studies and group projects to apply what they learn in class. They also have hands-on internship opportunities and elected officials, like U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree.
Mueller, who has taught at SMCC since 2013, has a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University and master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Delaware.
“What I enjoy most about teaching at SMCC is the diversity of students we have here. Our students come from many different countries, socioeconomic backgrounds and cultures, which adds great variety in the classroom.”