Road to success

For nearly two years, Michael Lesperance made the hourlong commute from St. Maries to Coeur d’Alene to pursue his radiography technology degree at North Idaho College.

Lesperance then rented an apartment in the Newport, Wash., area during his last semester to eliminate the commute over Fourth of July Pass during the winter and spring.

“The driving and expenses took a lot of commitment,” he said. “While I was often nervous (from road conditions), I never felt the urge to quit. I’d already invested quite a bit of time, money and energy. Quitting at that point would have been a massive waste.”

Lesperance’s dedication paid off as he landed a position as a radiologic technologist at Bonner General Health in Sandpoint upon graduating from NIC in May.

His education-to-workforce road typifies NIC’s Health Professions Division as this year’s Radiography Technology graduating class continued the program’s 100% job placement rate since 2019 and 100% first-attempt pass rate on the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists national board exam since 2018. The national first-attempt pass rate is 85%.

Other graduates hired by employers are:

• Mikayla Jakubek, Coeur d’Alene, Kootenai Health;

• Bethany Littman, Coeur d’Alene, Kootenai Health;

• Aurianna Pine, Post Falls, Kootenai Health; and

• Eric Holt, Moorpark, Calif., Bonner General Health.

“NIC helped my educational journey by being an affordable, knowledgeable and well-placed school,” Lesperance said. “The journey to this point was long and difficult, but the success has been very rewarding. It was quick and easy to get a job with my degree. Radiographers are in high demand just about everywhere.”

Littman received the Certificate of Excellence as the college’s top clinical student.

“I enjoy the combination of scientific knowledge, critical thinking and the human connection that clinical work requires,” Littman said. “What fuels my drive to succeed is knowing that the quality of my work can have a real effect on patient outcomes.”

Littman said NIC’s Radiography Technology Program prepared her well for the workforce.

“They made my dreams come true,” Littman said.

NIC Board of Trustees Chair Tarie Zimmerman said the program is a “powerful example of educational excellence, student achievement and workforce impact.”

“Through rigorous instruction, hands-on clinical experience and strong partnerships with healthcare providers, the program is preparing graduates to step confidently into high-demand roles and make an immediate difference across the region,” Zimmerman said.

The program admits up to 10 students each year. Applications are reviewed each spring for admission the following August.

    Bethany Littman during a pinning ceremony on May 14 for graduates of the 2026 Radiography Technology Program. Littman, Coeur d’Alene, recently graduated from North Idaho College’s Radiography Technology Program and is working at Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene. She aspires to expand her skill set in interventional radiology, the minimally invasive, image-guided treatment of medical conditions that once required open surgery.