Sam Miihlbach

Tri-C had exactly what Sam Miihlbach was looking for: an affordable, flexible and highly regarded Respiratory Care program. Even though he didn’t live in Cuyahoga County, Tri-C was his first choice.

“Tri-C had an outstanding reputation for its Respiratory Care program, and the out-of-county resident cost of tuition was still less than other colleges,” the Cuyahoga Falls resident said.

What made it even more appealing was how well it fit with his work schedule. He could enroll nearly full-time in the winter when his road construction job shut down for a few months.

Miihlbach’s new career began with his Associate of Applied Science in Respiratory Care and, after earning a bachelor’s degree and an MBA, he is now director of Respiratory Therapy at the MetroHealth System. He oversees all respiratory therapy and pulmonary function testing operations across the system. He returned to Tri-C to represent MetroHealth as a member of the Respiratory Care Advisory Committee. During his time on the committee, Tri-C named it the Outstanding Advisory Committee in 2013.

“Being able to take classes at different campuses allowed flexibility that other colleges didn’t offer at the time,” he said, adding that the courses in the Respiratory Care program placed him in a cohort with the same classmates, which led to lasting relationships. 

The U.S. Army veteran knew exactly what he wanted to do when he enrolled in Tri-C but acknowledges that not everyone is so confident about their career path.

“Tri-C has lots of resources available to students if they choose to use them,” he said.