Laryssa Blunt, 2012 Outstanding Alumna
Sometimes it's not where you are that is significant but, the distance you've traveled to get there. Laryssa Blunt calls herself a distance traveler. She began her journey at age 16 when she became a single parent. With much encouragement, she began her education as a non-traditional student at Garland County Community College. However, her nursing career was interrupted by her enlistment in the military. After she fulfilled her military obligation, Blunt returned to Quapaw Technical Institute in 1992 to complete her PN certification. She worked for several years before returning to National Park College and earning her RN Degree in 2007.
For nine years, Blunt was an NPC Medical Professions instructor who encouraged her students to reach beyond themselves to achieve their best. She has served as President of the Health Occupations Division of the Arkansas Association for Career and Technical Education and as an advisor to the student association, HOSA. Often referred to as a cheerleader, Blunt's efforts on the NPC campus have been credited with bringing success and growth to the NPC Medical Professions program and to the technology center. Blunt has been honored as the Business and Professional Women's Young Careerist, the Sentinel-Record Peoples' Choice Award as Nurse of the Year, and ACTE Teacher of the Year. She has served on many community boards and has co-sponsored the Blunt/Welch Scholarship that benefits a nursing student. She is currently fulfilling a dream by working as an obstetrics nurse at National Park Medical Center.
