Once upon a time at MC
It was almost like a fairy tale. She was an 18-year-old Midland Lee High School graduate; he was a 19-year-old Midland College (MC) sophomore and president of the MC Student Government Association. Between 2004 and 2007, they met, fell in love and got married—it all happened on the MC campus!
Today, Meghan and Richard Hirth, along with their 1-year-old son Gavin, are enjoying family and professional life in Midland and will soon move to Charlotte, North Carolina. Meghan, who graduated from MC in 2006 and received a bachelor's degree in nursing from Texas Tech University (TTU) in 2008, is currently working in the emergency room of Midland Memorial Hospital. Richard graduated from MC in 2005 and from TTU in 2007. Up until about a week ago, he was employed as operations/marketing account manager for Baker Hughes. In June he will assume management responsibilities at Siemens Energy in Charlotte working in their steam turbine division. Meghan says, "This is a great opportunity for Richard." The couple also enjoys being Amway entrepreneurs. Richard explains, "Meghan and I are team of leaders of an Amway business group. Most of the members of the group live in North Carolina, Georgia and Ohio, so this will enable us to be closer to our team."
Before they became parents and successful professionals, Meghan and Richard attended MC on the Midland Legacy Scholarship. The scholarship—provided by the Abell-Hanger Foundation, the Helen Greathouse Charitable Trust and the Chaparral Foundation—pays MC tuition up to $750 per semester for students who are Midland County high school graduates and who complete 40 hours of community service. Meghan and Richard each also wrote winning essays about their community service experiences and received an additional $500 from the Abell-Hanger Foundation! When they graduated from MC and transferred to TTU, they both received the Abell-Hanger Foundation Education Continuance Scholarship and the Fasken Scholarship. "We couldn't have gotten this far without those scholarships," explains Richard. "We are one of few young couples who can say that we honestly do not have any college debt. We graduated totally debt free!"
Richard is a native Midlander; Meghan, on the other hand, was born in Wales and moved to Midland as a young teenager. Her father passed away after the family moved to Midland and when Meghan was just 16. Then, when Meghan was a freshman at MC and had just begun dating Richard, her mother passed away due to pancreatic cancer, and the two girls were left without any family. Lindsey and Brad Fogarty, who Meghan knew from Stonegate Fellowship, came to the rescue. "Brad knocked on the door of our house one day when my mother was sick and said that he had a dream that he was supposed to take care of us if anything happened to my mom," says Meghan. And that's exactly what happened. Now, Meghan and her sister think of the Fogartys as parents.
But it wasn't just Lindsey and Brad Fogarty who helped Meghan during this time in her life. Meghan says, "Everyone at Midland College was so supportive. It was truly like they were part of my extended family. Even the president of the college would check on me from time to time."
The couple remembers several employees at MC and the impact they made in their lives. They were active in MC's Students in Philanthropy (SIP) and fondly recall the inspiration of Laura McCabe, who was the SIP advisor at the time. "We also had great instructors at MC," says Richard. He says that faculty like Accounting Professor Dale Westfall, Government Professor Lee Almaguer and Biology Assistant Professor Claudia Hinds were instrumental in preparing them for transfer to Texas Tech. "The environment was so positive at MC," continues Richard. "Why go to a big school when you can go to MC!"
Meghan was a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and in 2006 was MC's nominee for the All-USA Academic Team. She worked closely with MC Public Services Librarian Aline Collins to prepare for the All-USA Academic Team competition. Collins states, "Meghan is one of the most inspirational students I have been associated with at Midland College. Her strength, faith and sense of calm during the most difficult time of her life belied her years and experience. She was, and continues to be, a remarkable role model."
Meghan says, "I was very introverted when I started MC, but college life really helped me to blossom." Meghan was Homecoming Queen in 2006, and the year before, Richard was Homecoming King! Meghan, who is an accomplished musician, was also a member of the MC orchestra under the direction of Rabon Bewley. Richard worked part-time in the MC Admissions/Recruitment Office serving as an assistant recruiter. In 2004-2005, they both participated in the highly successful MC bond improvement campaign. "We helped design t-shirts and had a great time working with Linda Cowden, who was the chair of the bond campaign," says Richard.
When the couple decided to get married, there really was no question as to the location for the wedding. "MC was where we met, and the campus is so pretty. I couldn't think of a better place," says Meghan. So, in May 2007, right after Richard graduated from TTU, MC's Beal Plaza was the site for their beautiful spring wedding.
Today, the young family enjoys camping and fishing. Meghan plays guitar, piano and bassoon, and while she plays, their son Gavin likes to dance. When they move to North Carolina next month, Meghan and Richard say they will miss Midland but are looking forward to the opportunities that the next chapter in their lives will bring. "We have been so blessed," says Meghan. "And we owe a huge thanks to MC. It's a great place!"
