Clarksville, TN – After hearing of a shortage of Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians (AEMT) in Montgomery County, three local businessmen and former Army buddies decided to take action by founding a scholarship to help students at Austin Peay State University’s Professional & Workforce Development Center.
Robert Roof and John Montgomery of The JR Group of Crye-Leike Realtors, along with Paul Rhodes, Tropical Smoothie Café owner, established The Community First Scholarship to give students tuition assistance for the AEMT training program offered through APSU’s Professional & Workforce Development Center in partnership with Montgomery County Emergency Medical Services. Hailey Villegas, a recent Basic EMT (BEMT) graduate, was the first recipient.
Villegas completed her BEMT training in July 2023 among the top three students in her class and was eager to continue her education in the emergency medical field. However, due to the non-credit-bearing nature of the AEMT course, funding is typically an out-of-pocket expense for students. Thanks to assistance from The Community First Scholarship, Villegas will be able to advance her career training sooner rather than later.
“I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to continue my EMT education, thanks to these wonderful donors,” Villegas said. “This course really opened my eyes to the world of first responders. It allowed me to experience events that will stay with me for the rest of my life…I am nothing but lucky to be given the chance to go back and do the Advanced EMT Course at Austin Peay State University.”
Villegas also noted that while her family was leaving Fort Campbell and Clarksville for the tropics of Hawaii, she chose to stay here to finish her training at Austin Peay this fall.
Austin Peay State University, in partnership with Montgomery County EMS, offers both Basic and Advanced Medical Technician training courses as a part of the APSU Professional & Workforce Development Center. Both courses are instructed by certified staff from Montgomery County EMS. Registration information can be found on the APSU Professional & Workforce Development website.
The APSU Professional & Workforce Development Center is a division of Austin Peay State University offering non-credit courses that do not require participants to be enrolled in the University. Courses include certification-style courses such as Medical Assistant, Phlebotomy Technician, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and American Sign Language.
For more information on the APSU Professional & Workforce Development Center, please email pro-work-center@apsu.edu, call 931.221.7816, or visit www.apsu.edu/continuing-education.
