BAS program opens new doors for healthcare professionals

Bachelor’s degree represents mentorship coming full circle for LCCC grads

A suggestion from colleague Jennifer Ackerman set Kodi Ragsdale on a path she hadn’t planned. While working together at Cheyenne Radiology, Jennifer encouraged Kodi to enroll in Laramie County Community College’s Bachelor of Applied Science program in healthcare administration. Today, Jennifer and Kodi both work at LCCC, mentoring students pursuing careers in healthcare and continuing a cycle of support that helped shape their own professional journeys.

Jennifer’s connection to LCCC stretches back decades. After graduating from East High School, she enrolled in the college’s radiology program and earned her degree in 1994, launching a career that would span more than two decades at Cheyenne Radiology. Over the years, Jennifer advanced through multiple specialties, earning credentials in MRI and CT and eventually serving as a lead technologist while continuing to look for ways to grow professionally.

Returning to LCCC years later to pursue the Bachelor of Applied Science degree opened new possibilities. (LCCC wrote about Jennifer's time in the program in the 2021 Talon magazine.)

“It really feels like it’s come full circle,” Jennifer said. “Being able to come back and teach and work with students means a lot.”

Kodi’s path to healthcare followed a different route. After earning a general studies degree from LCCC in 2012 and exploring several career options, she returned to the college to complete the Radiography Program in 2019. Not long after beginning her career at Cheyenne Radiology, Jennifer encouraged Kodi to pursue the BAS degree as well.

“She was telling everyone about the program and saying she just needed somebody to do it with her,” Kodi said with a laugh. “I told her, ‘I’ll do it.’”

Kodi eventually enrolled in the program and graduated with the BAS degree in 2022 before continuing her education with a master’s degree alongside Jennifer.

Mentorship played an important role in both of their journeys. Danielle Opp, associate dean of health professions at LCCC, encouraged Jennifer to pursue the BAS program years earlier. Jennifer later offered similar guidance to Kodi, recognizing the same potential in her colleague that Danielle had once seen in her.

“She saw something in both of us,” Jennifer said of Danielle. “That kind of encouragement makes a difference.”

Now working alongside Danielle and teaching students entering the healthcare field, Jennifer and Kodi see their roles as an opportunity to pass that support forward.

“It’s kind of like coming home,” Kodi said. “LCCC helped shape our careers, and now we get to help students do the same thing.”

Both say their clinical backgrounds shape the way they teach students preparing for careers in healthcare.

Programs like LCCC’s Bachelor of Applied Science degree help working healthcare professionals build leadership and administrative skills while continuing their careers.

For Jennifer and Kodi, the degree became a turning point that allowed them to expand their impact — not only in clinical settings, but also in classrooms where they now help prepare future healthcare professionals.

“It’s really a circle of people helping each other,” Jennifer said. “People helped us along the way, and now we get to do the same for someone else.”

Applied Management BAS builds skills for leadership

Cheyenne native Jodi Flath has been connected to Laramie County Community College for much of her life. After attending SEEK classes as a child and earning college credit in high school, she returned to LCCC to complete her associate degree and is now pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management.

The program, part of LCCC’s Business & Accounting Pathway, prepares students for leadership roles across a wide range of industries. Coursework focuses on practical business skills that students can apply directly to their careers or volunteer work.

Flath chose LCCC in part because of its affordability and flexible eight-week course format, which allows students to balance school with work and other responsibilities.

After graduating this spring, she hopes to work in the nonprofit sector as a grant writer, helping organizations secure funding for programs that serve their communities.