LYNCHBURG, TN (August 2023) – Motlow State Community College recently held a commencement ceremony for the 2023 class of Paramedics. Students from the Smyrna and Sparta locations walked the stage to receive plaques commemorating their achievement. This is the first group of Paramedic graduates from the Sparta site.
A total of 25 students walked the stage at the Smyrna campus to complete the Paramedic program. Motlow EMS Director Houston Austin and Paramedic Coordinator Michael Peveto spearheaded the event, presenting the students with their plaques of course completion. Metro Nashville Fire Department Captain Brian Felts, the keynote speaker for the event, gave the students a message about the hard lessons learned in the EMS and Fire Service.
Austin stated, “These students have worked hard to reach this point and have earned their places in the medical field. We are very proud of all their hard work and dedication to serving others.”
Peveto added, “Do or do not. There is no try. These students did everything asked of them, and we look forward to seeing their successes.”
To become a Paramedic, students must complete their Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Advanced EMT certifications. These certifications total over 1,000 hours of training in advanced medical treatment, such as administering medication, monitoring electrocardiograms, inserting IVs, and transferring patients from the ambulance to the emergency room.
Graduating Students Include:
Smyrna: Kory Anderson, Jennifer Buwalda-Hiett, Ziea Clark, Daphanie Crenshaw, Estrella Galindo, Matthew Hodge, Caleb Holt, Blake Hutchins, Abbigail Klein, Tim Lavier, Brian Marshall, Tyler Mitchell, Jeana Page, Chantelle Peveto, Matthew Price, Wesley Rogers, Zach Smith, Brittani White, and Beau Williams.
Sparta: Jenny Clouse, Megan Dotson, Jack Knowles, Trevin Merriman, Josh Miller, and Callie Moore.
Top Academic Students: Blake Hutchins, Wesley Rogers, and Daphanie Crenshaw.
Top Skills Performers: Zach Smith, Caleb Holt, and Timothy Lavier.
Marche ou Creve (March or Die) Award: Beau Williams
Highest Academic Performance Award - Sparta Recipients:
Highest GPA: Josh Miller
Best Skills: Callie Moore
Airwolf Award: Megan Dotson
The Marche ou Creve Award, named after a family motto, is a personal award that Peveto gives to the student who has shown the most improvement through tenacity, drive, and determination. Sparta Lead Paramedic Instructor David Weaver, who was given the nickname “Airwolf” earlier in his career, presents the Airwolf Award to the student who exhibits the most improvement in confidence and Paramedic skills.
Weaver helped to make the first group of Sparta Paramedic graduates possible. This is also his first group of students to graduate from the Paramedic program. The quote he always repeats to his students to remind them to always give their best effort is “Nobody is coming. It’s up to us.”
Pursuing EMT, AEMT, and Paramedic certifications gives students a practical route to the workforce. They are eligible for TN Promise and Reconnect. Obtaining a Paramedic license can also better prepare students for going into the nursing field. Motlow offers a one-year pathway to train Paramedics to sit for the NCLEX and transfer their medical knowledge from the ambulance to the hospital.
Those interested in Motlow’s Emergency Medical Services program can email emseducation@mscc.edu or call 931-393-1859.
Tennessee’s Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient, and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. The system offers associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs, and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tbr.edu or visit Motlow at motlow.edu.
