Arts and Crafts With a Purpose: Spokane Falls Community College is Making Limbs and Taking Names

Ah, Spokane Falls Community College. While other schools are busy pumping out philosophy majors with zero job prospects, SFCC is out here literally making a difference—by teaching students how to build limbs. Yes, you heard that right. While most of us were failing miserably at DIY Pinterest projects, these students are out here sculpting new legs. Take that, overpriced art school!

Enter Brooke Harper, a 19-year-old student with the power to give amputees the mobility they need. While other college kids are perfecting the art of the two-day-old pizza breakfast, Brooke is in the lab, smoothing out plaster molds and gluing joints onto prosthetics like a mad scientist with a heart of gold. “It was so cool to know something I made could help someone,” she gushed. Yeah, no big deal. Just changing lives one socket at a time.

But here’s the real kicker—this program isn’t for seasoned medical professionals looking to add another certificate to their already overstuffed résumés. Nope. SFCC’s Orthotic and Prosthetic Science program is specifically designed for those who have zero experience working with their hands. That’s right, folks. You could go from struggling to assemble an IKEA shelf to constructing a fully functional prosthetic limb in just one year.

Program Director Ambrose Cavegn puts it best: “By the end of that year, they make this remarkable transformation where they go from not knowing how to do a whole lot in a laboratory environment to being able to actually fabricate devices that could be fit on patients and allow them to walk again.” Translation: SFCC takes you from “I don’t know how to hold a screwdriver” to “I just built someone a new leg” in 12 months.

It’s also worth noting that SFCC’s program is one of only a few in the country, and the only one in the entire western U.S. The closest other option? Minnesota. Yes, Minnesota. You’d have to trade in mountains and fresh air for subzero temperatures and a never-ending supply of “ope, sorry there.” And who wants that?

Now, let’s talk about what happens after graduation. Unlike most college students who enter the harsh reality of working unpaid internships for a “great opportunity,” SFCC grads get job offers before they even graduate. The program used to be two years long, but they had to cut it down to one because students kept getting snatched up for jobs before they could even finish. Imagine that. A degree program so useful that companies can’t wait to hire you.

And the cost? A mere $8,000 for tuition and fees. That’s practically a rounding error compared to what people spend on traditional degrees, only to end up back at their parents’ house, questioning their life choices.

Now, let’s talk about the artsy side of this field. Yes, science and engineering are great, but who says prosthetics can’t be fashionable? Brooke Harper sure doesn’t. She proudly showed off a socket she made, decorated with bees. Bees. If that’s not peak creativity, I don’t know what is. “I love bees and the glitter got a bit messed up. But I don’t care because I made it myself and I think it’s really cool,” she said. That’s right, folks. Not only are these prosthetics functional, but they can also be stylish. Forget designer handbags—this is functional fashion at its finest.

So, what have we learned today? SFCC’s Orthotic and Prosthetic Science program is turning clueless newbies into limb-building pros in just a year. Their grads are getting job offers before they even finish. The tuition is shockingly reasonable. And best of all, you can bring your artistic flair into the world of medical science. If that’s not the ultimate arts and crafts with a purpose, then I don’t know what is.

In the meantime, the rest of us will continue to struggle with assembling bookshelves. Sigh.