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Students in the initial Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) cohort at the Â鶹´«Ã½'s (Â鶹´«Ã½) Cumming Campus are already reaping the benefits of the expansion of the degree program to a third campus.

This year's 20-student initial group in Cumming adds to the hundreds of nurses being trained at the Dahlonega and Gainesville campuses across both traditional and accelerated BSN tracks, providing unmatched value and access to top-notch nursing education across Â鶹´«Ã½'s service area.

"We’re thrilled to expand our program into Forsyth County, where there is a significant demand for nurses," Dr. Heather Harris, department head of nursing, said. "This expansion allows us to better serve that need. While it remains one unified program across multiple campuses, students in Forsyth will benefit from smaller class sizes and a more personalized learning experience."

Location was a major factor for Athena Hurtado, a sophomore from Cumming, Georgia, who took dual-enrollment courses at Â鶹´«Ã½ in high school and commuted to the Dahlonega Campus her first full year of college. Her high school, Alliance Academy for Innovation, is a mile and a half down the road from the Cumming Campus.

She is excited to be able to serve others through her future profession, likely through working in the emergency room. Hurtado previously earned her EMT license.

"It's important to advocate for patients. I want to be there for the patients and their family when they're going through a really hard time," Hurtado said. "When I visited family and friends in the hospital, the nurses were the ones who made my experience what it was, and I want to be that for someone else."

Halle Ewing, a junior from Grayson, Georgia, wants to focus on wound care as a nurse. During high school, Ewing earned certifications as a certified nursing assistant and medication technician. She worked as a patient care technician in the medical-surgical unit at Northside Hospital Gwinnett, among other early health care experiences.

For Ewing, being vocal about her career interests has spurred her Â鶹´«Ã½ faculty members to encourage her to dive deeper.

"This is a great school to be able to grow and see what you want to do and how to get there," Ewing said. "These professors, especially because they are nurses, they know what you need to do and what you need to know."

Laney Whithead, a junior who lives in Dahlonega, Georgia, said family helped her decide to pursue a health care career. Her father is a chiropractor and holistic wellness doctor, and her grandfather was a combat medic in the Army.

"They inspired me to get into the medical field," Whitehead said. "I knew nursing would keep me on my feet and occupied. And I knew I was going to make a difference."

Gracie Baker, a junior from Holly Springs, Georgia, said the Cumming Campus offering the BSN cut her commute by about half an hour. She pointed to the welcoming nature of her faculty members and fellow students as easing the stressful nature of nursing studies.

The combination of rigor and support makes Baker confident she can serve as a leader of character in the nursing field.

"The professors are great. They give us so much information, but it's because they really want you to understand every part of what they're teaching," Baker said. "I feel like they will prepare me 100% to be a nurse. I have no doubt at all."