New SGA Officers Want to Serve

The new officers of ACTCs Student Government Association (SGA) reflect the diversity of ages and backgrounds of ACTCs student population - younger and older, just starting out and starting over.

SGA President Cameron Scott Miles is a Flatwoods resident who is going to college more than a decade after high school. As a high school junior, he joined the Army through the split option program and became a combat medic.

After the service, he was an over-the-road truck driver for about seven years and then became an EMT so that he could work close to home and spend more time with his family. He would like to complete the ACTC Associate Degree Nursing program and go on to become a nurse practitioner or nurse educator.

My goal in coming to ACTC is to be able to accomplish something that I have put off for over 13 years - a college education, Miles said. I am currently on track for my Associates in Science, and hope to be in the Nursing Program RN in the fall of 2015.

Ive had several jobs, each with some drawbacks, and its time to get ready for a job that I can love. Driving a truck paid well but the time away from family was too hard, so I decided to get into a medical field.

I became an EMT because although I never saw combat, the job of medic had become very interesting to me. When the company I worked for as an EMT went bankrupt, it was time for another decision. And this time I chose a medical field with a college education. I believe in things happening for a reason, and I am thankful that I have been given the opportunity to come back to school for nursing.

I decided to run for SGA President, because other students have brought some issues to my attention over the past year, and I decided that I could help. I love doing for others and helping in any way that I can. I hope that I can make some good changes and improvements as SGA President, Miles said.

SGA Secretary Katie P. Ritchie is an Ashland resident and a 2013 graduate of Fairview High School. She is working on an Associate in Science Degree at ACTC. She plans to transfer to Morehead State University for a Bachelor's Degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. Her goal is to prepare for the University of Kentucky's physician assistant satellite program located on Morehead State University's campus.

I chose ACTC because of its convenient location close to home and its small size, she said. There were only 68 students in my high school graduating class, so a small class size was something that was familiar to me. I believe that is one of the reasons that I have been successful at ACTC. The ability to have one-on-one discussions with the teacher and become acquainted with my class members provides a very comfortable learning environment.

I ran for SGA office because I know that students, including myself, have ideas and suggestions to further improve the campus. I am very interested in hearing those ideas and hopefully helping doing something about it. It will also provide me with an opportunity to meet and communicate with new people and have new experiences. Iam very excited about it, Ritchie concluded.

SGA voices the needs, opinions and wishes of the student body. It also supports a well-balanced program of activities for students and provides opportunities for leadership development. An election for campus representatives to join Miles and Ritchie in SGA will be held in the fall.