May 15, 2026
Respiratory therapy graduates and healthcare leaders celebrate Blue Ridge Community College’s first four respiratory therapists: (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, Southwestern Community College program director; Noah Jones, satellite program director; Tim Dean, Southwestern Community College,dean of Health Sciences. Rich Keen/BRCC
Blue Ridge Community College recently celebrated its first four respiratory therapy graduates with a special ceremony on the school’s Henderson County campus. The program launched in the fall of 2024 in partnership with Southwestern Community College and is offered exclusively at BRCC’s Transylvania County campus.
The program is designed to provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge to become licensed respiratory therapists and is helping to fill an important need in the local healthcare workforce. In 2026, U.S. News & World Report rated respiratory therapy #4 among the nation’s best health care jobs.
Instructor and Program Director Noah Jones said the ceremony was not just a celebration of achievement, but also a celebration of 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.”
Jones presented student awards to the following students:
Academic Excellence Award – Kimberly Buff
Excellence in Clinical Practice Award – Kalyn Kelley
Excellence in Patient-Centered Care Award – Clay Vinson
Excellence Through Discipline Award – Tyrus Knox
Jones guided the class in reciting the respiratory therapist’s oath, which is a reflection of 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.
More information about healthcare programs at Blue Ridge Community College – including respiratory therapy – is available at www.blueridge.edu/healthcare.