Brittany Doyle always knew she wanted to pursue a career in health care, she just didn’t know exactly where to focus. But after spending her junior and senior years of high school enrolled in the Jackson Area Career Center’s Dental Occupations Program, she had her answer: Dental hygiene.
Today, the 2016 Concord High School graduate is a Kellogg Community College Foundation Gold Key Scholar knocking our pre-requisite courses in anticipation of entering KCC’s Dental Hygiene Program.
“We were trained to be assistants, so we got to assist with sealants and fillings and extractions,” Doyle says of her time in the JACC program. “We learned sterilization and all that stuff.”
Doyle, 18, of Hanover, won’t find out if she made it into the Dental Hygiene Program at KCC until later this spring (admission to KCC’s health programs is selective, and a limited number of applicants are accepted each year), but she hopes her background in the field will give her an edge. In addition to studying at the JACC, she twice participated in the National Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Competitive Events Program for Dental Terminology.
This semester, Doyle is taking a variety of classes at KCC, from a class in music appreciation to a physiology class and classes covering psychology and sociology, all paid for with the Gold Key Scholarship. She learned about the scholarship after a high school counselor gave her one of the KCC Foundation’s scholarship application booklets, and says the funds have paid for just about everything related to her studies.
“I didn’t have to pay for classes, I didn’t have to pay for books, and I actually got some of my money back, so I don’t really have to worry about going here,” Doyle says. “I don’t have to worry about paying off student loans or any of that.”
This is Brittany Doyle’s KCC story. What’s yours? Share it online using the hashtag #KCCstory or share it on our website at www.kellogg.edu/kccstories.
Gold Key Scholarships
The 2017-18 Gold Key Scholarship application period is open to high school seniors through Feb. 15! For more information and an application, visit www.kellogg.edu/gold-key.
Dental Hygiene at KCC
Applications for KCC’s Dental Hygiene Program are also being accepted for a limited time, with applications due April 1. For more information and an application, visit www.kellogg.edu/dentalhygiene.