Kris Combs: Grateful for the Excellent Start

I attended CMC in the 80’s. I am so grateful for the opportunities this education provided for my family and me.

Olive Morton, Bud Romberg and Dan Schaffrick are the people I remember most. Olive was always so encouraging as I pursued my education while waitressing and becoming a new mom.

Bud Romberg was my organic and inorganic chemistry teacher. I initially had taken chemistry at CU Boulder along with over 300 other students in Chem 140. One did not ask questions in this large of a class. At CMC, there were six people in my chemistry classes. Mr. Romberg was patient and could tell if someone needed additional help. I was able to obtain all my pre-requisites at CMC to apply to nursing school at CU.

Dan Schaffrick encouraged and showed me how a college education might be attainable through financial aid. I had thought I could never afford college with three young children at home. He not only showed me how this was possible, but also helped my ex-husband obtain financial aid for CMC.

We both transferred after CMC, I obtained my BSN in Nursing in 1989 from CU and then my master’s in Nurse Midwifery in 1995. I’ve worked in Denver as a Nurse Midwife for more than 20 years both in private practice and was employed by Swedish Medical Center from 2000-2016. I currently am employed by Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver with the Midwifery Group.

My ex-husband attended CSU and graduated with his BS in construction management in 1990 and then his master’s in construction management in 1992. He currently works for a home builder in North Carolina. In 2010, he helped with the reconstruction of transitional shelters in Haiti for Catholic Relief Services and remained in Haiti sporadically through 2015.

I am so grateful for the excellent start to my career CMC afforded me. I have always loved my chosen career path and know I would not have been able to attain this without the personal encouragement, smaller classes and education I received at CMC.