Two decades after he pitched for Rend Lake College’s baseball team and took the floor as a Warrior for the basketball team, Dr. Brian Kern is again making headlines at his alma mater.  The 1994 RLC graduate is now an orthopedic surgeon at the Orthopedic Institute of Western Kentucky, located in Paducah, Kentucky, and has been named the RLC Foundation Alumnus of the Year for 2015.  He was awarded the honor during the Foundation Annual Dinner last night.  Kern came to RLC in the Fall of 1992 as a member of Coach Tim Wills’ first recruiting class for RLC’s Men’s Basketball team.  Wills, now RLC’s Athletic Director, was one individual who nominated Kern for the award, which Kern says is a special surprise on top of an already honoring award.  Kern grew up just minutes from RLC in rural Franklin County. His father, retired president of the college Mark Kern, brought Brian and his four siblings to campus long before he attended his first class.  He said, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to speak about what Rend Lake College has done for me.  The doors it opened and the opportunities it provided me have been numerous.  I used it as a stepping stone and I think there are many other students to whom Rend Lake College appeals for the same reasons.”  Specifically, Kern said he hopes to appeal to student athletes with big dreams, much like himself in the early 90s.  His goal was to play baseball at the Division I college level and end up in the Major Leagues, but when he didn’t receive Division I offers out of high school, he decided to work on his game, while receiving a quality education, right in his own backyard.  Kern completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Pre-Med Biology at SLU.  He then returned to Southern Illinois to attend SIU’s School of Medicine from 1999-2003.  He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at SIU in Springfield from 2003-2008, during which time he also served as a Captain in the Illinois Army National Guard.  With 2 other doctors, Kern started the Orthopedic Institute of Western Kentucky in 2009.  Since that time, the orthopedic group has grown to ten physicians and has over 100 employees.  Through this award, Kern said he hopes to be able to inspire other students and athletes to consider the community college route.  As a doctor, Kern encourages high school and college students to observe surgeries and regularly visits with high schools in Kentucky to provide interested students access to someone in the medical profession.