8 April ICC students join national OTA celebration; commemorate their profession April 8, 2025 By Thomas, Donna S. General 0 As the nation celebrates Occupational Therapy Month in April, students in Itawamba Community College’s OTA program will also commemorate their profession, especially Rodney Hardy, who is on track to graduate in May. “This has been by far one of the most challenging, yet best experiences of my life,” he noted. Here’s his story… Back in 2014, when he was a nursing student at ICC, Hardy left class, got caught in a bad snow/ice storm, hit a patch of ice, and his car slid, fish tailed and flipped five times. He thought he was stuck between the steering wheel and dashboard, but the car had crushed his left leg. He calls one of his classmates his guardian angel because she noticed that he was no longer following behind her. “Something kept telling her to turn around and thankfully she listened and found me. She called 911, but the ambulance couldn’t get close enough to the scene where my car had landed because of the ice. With the help of a friend who was hunting and just happened to be coming out of the woods, they placed me on the back of his truck after the EMTs cut me out of my car, and he drove me to the ambulance. Because of the weather, it took two hours to reach the hospital.” Hardy was in the hospital for three months, doesn’t remember how long he was on the vent and lost his leg. “I also lost a great job, my nursing career, went through every stage of the grieving process, battled depression and suffered from PTSD.” His therapy at UAB included both Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. “My OT was a lady who was no more than 5’2”, 130 pounds, but she pushed a 5’8”, 405-pound amputee to his limits and showed me that ‘yes you can go back to school and although your new life will be in OT terminology ‘adaptive’, it can be ‘functional.’” Four years later, Hardy was doing some private duty sitting with a retired Veteran, who also has nursing, and both OT and PT. He took the advice of the OT, who observed the way Hardy handled the patient. “As good as you are with Mr. Vet, and as smart as you are, you should consider OT school. Your life experience as an amputee and your nursing skill set makes you the perfect candidate.” Hardy said that he didn’t ‘see at this point in life going back to school, so he settled into his life of disability.’ The next chapter of his story includes connections that led to learning and watching how OT, PT, SLP and nursing collaborations change people’s lives. Through a friend, who is now his boss, Hardy learned about ICC’s OTA program. After her strong encouragement, Hardy said, “at first, the middle-aged disabled person said, NO! Then that small still voice said, ‘you love what you do, you have found your niche, why not try?” Considering he had the hundreds of observation hours, all prerequisites, his ‘good enough’ ACT and GPA scores, Hardy applied and interviewed. Fast forward five months. The interview. “I’m nervous, but bold and confident,” Hardy said. His first question, ‘Why do you want to become an OTA?’ “Without hesitation, I explained to them that I’m a LAKA and that I’m a product of OT services. OT taught me adaptive ways to live my life in a functional manner that ultimately gave me a reason to live life to the fullest. He was given an invitation to become an Occupational Therapy student at ICC. Although in his words, he nervously accepted, to be one of 14 students. He’s the oldest, the only male, the only black student and the only disabled person in the class. “I really felt as if I did not belong, but I prayed and stayed! My classmates embraced me, and we quickly became a family.” Hardy had to drive three hours round trip for 18 months home to Gordo, Ala. He said that although he thought of multiple excuses, the encouragement of program director Dr. Dee Dee Lomenick, academic fieldwork coordinator Shannon Fraiser and adjunct faculty member Zach Wooten, his classmates and other health science students not to quit and never give up, he’s stayed the course. “My instructors took nothing less than maximum effort and pushed not only me, but the entire class to work with a spirit of excellence. I’m not the fastest, the smartest or the youngest, but my prayer and my goal is to be the most efficient in my craft as a future OTA, and this program has thoroughly prepared me. The OTA program at ICC to me is more than just a program. This has been a life changing journey and experience.” This year’s theme for the month-long celebration is “Occupational Therapy: Inspiring Hope, Changing Lives.” And, soon-to-be ICC OTA graduate Rodney Hardy is living proof. Occupational Therapy Assistant is a two-year (four-semester) program. Graduates receive an Associate of Applied Science degree and will be eligible to take the national credentialing exam to become a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. The program offers one class per year, beginning each fall. The application deadline is May 1. For more information, call (662) 620-5239 or email pbbuse@iccms.edu. Related Articles ICC celebrates April as National Welding Month; students in Metallica class share their stories Chris Adair of Saltillo is a student in Itawamba Community College’s welding class that has been funded by a grant from Metallica’s foundation, All Within My Hands. He and his classmates as well as all students in ICC’s welding classes are joining in the celebration of April as National Welding Month. Adair said that enrolling in the class was a great opportunity to learn welding. “I’m hooked on a hobby that I can have for a lifetime.” His grandfather was a welder for both the Navy and NASA. “I would have made my grandfather proud. I can feel his arms on mine when I stick weld.” A general studies graduate in 2018, Adair said he didn’t know what his future would bring. He said he spent a lot of time playing video games. “I didn’t know what to do. I saw the opportunity and decided to go for it. I was nervous at first, but I’ve started a hobby that I enjoy.” Adair and his classmates have different stories, but their chance meeting in ICC’s welding class has given them ... ICC joins in National Truck Driver Appreciation Week; now recruiting students for upcoming classes Itawamba Community College is joining with the American Trucking Association in celebrating National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, Sept. 15-21. The weeklong celebration honors the millions of professional truck drivers who deliver America’s freight safely and securely every day. It is especially meaningful to Itawamba Community College, which is also celebrating its Commercial Truck Driving program that is now recruiting students for classes that will begin soon at its Tupelo Campus. ICC’s CTD program prepares individuals to drive Class A semitrucks and other commercial vehicles. It includes instruction in operating diesel-powered vehicles, loading and unloading cargo, reporting delays or accidents on the road, verifying loads against shipping records and keeping necessary records. It is designed to give the future driver a complete and thorough understanding of logbooks, trip records and the motor carrier safety regulations of the United States Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Options include four weeks, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m., or 16-weeks. Enrollment requirements include U.S. citizen or Puerto Rico valid driver’s license; copy of good ... ICC Welding/Cutting students celebrate their career path every day Although the nation commemorates April as National Welding Month, students in Kent Lewis’s Welding and Cutting Technology class at Itawamba Community College’s Belden Center celebrate their career path and ultimate profession every day. This year’s theme is “Connected by Welding: Bridging Communities and Industries,” and ICC’s students definitely do. According to Dylan Baldwin, dean of Career Education, ICC’s welding students are an excellent example of the definition of community partners. “They contribute to worthwhile events and charities while sharing their talents as often as possible. Every project provides an opportunity to demonstrate their creativity while honing their skills in their chosen profession.” ICC’s welding students come from different backgrounds and have different career expectations, but they are bound by their love and passion for welding. Among their stories have included “I’m hooked on a hobby that I can have for a lifetime. My grandfather was a welder, and I would have made him proud. I can feel his arms on mine when I stick weld.” Some hope to start their own business, but no matter their story, their chance meeting in ... Itawamba Community College joins national initiative on College Cost Transparency Itawamba Community College has joined the College Cost Transparency Initiative, a coalition of more than 360 higher education institutions that have voluntarily committed to follow a set of principles and standards that ensure transparency, clarity and understanding around student financial aid offers, which was announced this week. Together, these institutions serve more than 3.5 million college students in the United States. “Choosing to attend college is one of the most significant financial aid decisions a student or family can make,” said ICC President Dr. Jay Allen. “Knowing how much it will cost up front is crucial, and ICC is committed to providing students clear and accurate financial information. We are proud to be a partner in this work.” The monumental commitment comes as lawmakers, think tanks and government entities continue to scrutinize the financial aid offers that colleges and universities present to students. The principles and standards recommended by the CCT – a task force composed of the leaders of 10 higher education associations representing college presidents, financial aid offices and admissions and school counselors which originated ... ICC film students have exciting opportunities to learn their craft Itawamba Community College’s film students had an opportunity in Clarksdale recently to screen a documentary that has been a year in the making. The screening was presented at a conference entitled “Rolling on the River.” The film, “Flights of the Mississippi June Bugs: A Greater Truth in Money,” covers the intersection of life and art in the small delta town, which has three important connections, Bobbie Gentry, Emmett Till and Robert Johnson, according to ICC Films sponsor Morgan Cutturini. “The town has seen tragedy and musical greatness, both of which inspired much of modern American culture via rock-n-roll and the Civil Rights Movement.” The Tallahatchie Bridge, to which Gentry’s song “Ode to Billy Joe” refers, is in Money, where she lived just outside of town during her childhood. Till’s tortured body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River nearby, and his open-casket funeral helped spark the Civil Rights Movement. Bluesman Johnson, who is credited with inspiring rock-n-roll, is buried in a cemetery at Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church on Money Road. ICC’s film students began the project last May when ... ICC's Public Health Technology program to join in national celebration with local events Itawamba Community College’s Public Health Technology program will join those in the profession in celebrating the week of April 1 as National Public Health Week. According to program director Cassie Alexander, the theme is “Protecting, Connecting and Thriving: We Are All Public Health.” She said the commemoration recognizes the contributions of public health in improving the physical condition of the people of the United States and for ICC’s Public Health Technology program, the residents of Mississippi, specifically those in Chickasaw, Itawamba, Lee, Monroe and Pontotoc counties; and achieving health equity. “Community health workers are the backbone of public health, bridging the gap between healthcare systems and the communities they serve, ensuring that no one is left behind in the pursuit of well-being and equity,” said Caroline Newkirk, ICC adjunct instructor and Evaluation Specialist with the Mississippi Public Health Institute. “ICC’s Public Health Technology program fills a critical gap in Mississippi by offering a curriculum that prepares its students exceptionally well with the knowledge and skills to be invaluable community health workers. In a state that is medically underserved, ... Comments are closed.