Bryson Shiflett is a nursing student at Georgia Highlands College (GHC). He is also the president for the student group Highlands Association of Nursing Students (HANS). Together, with other nursing students and Director of Nursing Paula Stover, Bryson has helped establish a new “Nursing and Friends Helping Future Nurses Fund.”
Facilitated through the GHC Foundation and paid for by generous donors, the fund will help nursing students with small expenses such as gas, food, or supplies with the goal of funding scholarships, classes and other vital student necessities in the future.
“The role of HANS in building this scholarship fund will be to encourage others to donate and donate when we can in hopes of making a more financially stable future for GHC nursing students,” Bryson, who also serves as Class President of HANS, said. “The goal of the fund is to have money that students may need when school comes first and there may be financial sacrifices.”
As a Registered Student Organization (RSO), HANS encourages socialization to the profession of nursing and leadership development. Membership allows a student to have a voice in the state and national student organization as well as linkage with nursing students all over the United States.
In his role as Class President for HANS, Bryson helps coordinate community service projects, communicate with other schools for intercollegiate projects, volunteer in the community and encourage his fellow officers and class members as they journey through nursing school.
For example, Bryson and HANS recently worked with the college’s 50th Celebration of Nursing to help coordinate chaperones and ensure alumni were able to easily navigate and enjoy the event.
As a member of GHC’s Alpha Psi Omicron chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, The Psychology Club and HANS, Bryson said he has enjoyed the opportunities offered by GHC.
“I truly enjoy all the clubs provided by Georgia Highlands and find that each one of them offers something special in and of itself,” Bryson said. “Whether it be the professors, students, or student life that surrounds the club.”
Bryson plans to graduate in May of 2023. Following graduation, he plans to apply to the RN to BSN program at GHC, then go on to earn his psychiatric nurse practitioner certification as well as a doctorate in psychology.
“The professors here at Georgia Highlands truly care about the success of their students and it shows through how well the students receive the information that they are instructed on,” Bryson said. “I truly could not ask to be a part of a better school or nursing program.”
His advice to current or potential GHC students is “your journey is your own.”
“It does not matter how you make it to the finish line, or when you finish the race, all that matters is that you finished,” Bryson said. “My time here at Georgia Highlands has helped me grow not only as a person but as an individual. Georgia Highlands has taught me how to be a leader, student, team member and overall well-rounded human being.”
