CCC student Anna Gottschling outside the Lone Tree Campus. Courtesy photo.
FLAGSTAFF — She wants to help others with the same experience
Coconino Community College student Anna Gottschling has lived in Flagstaff all of her life. At the age of two, she suffered from an injury known as a subdural hematoma, which is a bleed in your brain. She was saved by Dr. Nathan Avery in Flagstaff and then transferred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital for additional surgeries, physical therapy, and her recovery.
Dr. Nathan Avery was a neurosurgeon from Flagstaff who died after an accident at Lake Powell. His positive outlook on life and impact on the community led to the Best Life Ever movement. BLE makes donations to the Flagstaff community in memory of Dr. Nathan Avery.
“When I was growing up and I would hear the story, it hit me that this was an important event in my life,” Gottschling said, adding that it gave her a reason to want to give back.
She is currently enrolled in the Medical Office Management program here at CCC. Gottschling is not sure if she wants to continue her education and transfer to a four-year college after graduating from CCC, but she does know that she wants to work at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in the future.
“I haven’t decided what exactly I want to do,” Gottschling said, adding that she just started taking classes and she really enjoys them.
“With my story I could help be an advocate, or I can help people who are going through the same thing, maybe I can explain I was here once too and it’s all going to be ok.”
Anna has received scholarships to help with this semester’s school payments to help her further her education. Scholarships are awarded through the CCC Foundation and they awarded a total of 88 students for the 2021-2022 academic year with a total of $235,250 in scholarship funds. These funds help students with funding for things like classes and books.
“I didn’t have to worry about paying tuition, I only had to pay for books.” Gottschling said, adding that scholarships helped her pay for school, and she was able to focus on paying for other bills in life.
She is hoping to receive some for next semester as well.
For more information about scholarships at CCC, visit https://www.coconino.edu/scholarships.