Maryellen Colson was offered a nursing job even before she completed our nursing program this spring. She’s now a registered nurse at both a hospital in Lewiston and at a nursing care facility in Yarmouth.

Maryellen was one of 11 students from the nursing program on SMCC’s Midcoast Campus in Brunswick to graduate in May. Less than three months after completing the program, all 11 not only have passed their nursing board exams but also landed good jobs.

I often talk about students who enjoy success upon graduation. In this case, I can point to the entire Midcoast Campus nursing program’s graduating class — not just an individual person.

When she enrolled two years ago, Maryellen knew SMCC had a firstrate nursing program. The professors were excellent and took a personal interest in each student’s success, she says. Still, she was pleasantly surprised at how fast everyone in the close-knit Midcoast group found jobs.

“I was congratulating everyone one by one,” she says. “It was great to see that. It paid off in the end and everyone was able to find a job so easily.”

I’m proud of how SMCC prepares people for good careers and bright futures. Ninety-four percent of SMCC students gain employment or continue their education within nine months of graduation. Our graduates see a 73 percent increase in wages within a year of graduation.

We have more than 45 academic programs, preparing our students for careers in applied technology, business, health sciences, public safety, and arts and sciences. Many of our graduates continue their education at public and private institutions in Maine, New England and beyond.

Our nursing program has nearly 150 students who are enrolled at both our South Portland and Brunswick campuses. About 60 students — 11 of them from the Brunswick campus — received Associate in Science degrees in nursing at our commencement in May.

The graduates from the Midcoast Campus are in varied stages of life and range in age from the early 20s to the mid-50s. Maryellen, who is 22 and lives in Harpswell, has known since about ninth grade that she wanted to be a nurse. She took certified nursing assistant classes and worked as a CNA before deciding to take the next step and become an RN.

She now works at Central Maine Medical Center providing care to surgical patients who are in recovery. She also works one day a week at a nursing care facility.

The other nursing graduates have secured employment at places such as Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, Maine- General Medical Center in Augusta and at nursing care facilities, says Elizabeth Bailey, who heads our Midcoast Campus nursing program. The fast 100-percent job placement shows our program is strong and that our students are competitive in the work world, she says.

The Midcoast nursing program is only going to get better after the campus’ new Learning Commons & Health Science Center opens this fall. The building will house nursing classrooms and a Simulation Lab that allows students to develop practical skills and gain hands-on experience on high-tech mannequins that simulate symptoms and conditions that nurses are likely to see in a professional setting.

Maryellen Colson says her faith drives her to provide care for other people. It was SMCC that provided the education and training.

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Ron Cantor is president of Southern Maine Community College.