Jonathan Kavuma is graduating from Georgia Highlands College (GHC) this spring with an Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) – but he isn’t stopping there. He has big plans to continue his education in nursing at GHC.
Kavuma entered into the ASN program through the High School Graduate option, allowing him to begin the ASN program about two weeks after earning his high school diploma.
While he was able to get a jump start on earning his degree, doing so came with its fair share of hard work.
“In order for us to graduate on time we essentially had to take all of the nursing prerequisite classes on top of the nursing classes and that was no easy feat,” Kavuma said, adding sometimes he would take up to five “core” prerequisite classes in addition to taking nursing classes and meeting the other requirements of the program.
“This was indeed stressful, but overall, it made us stronger in the end, and showed us how to be good stewards of time management.”
While the workload was sometimes heavy as Kavuma earned his first nursing degree, he looked back on an early memory to remind himself why he was applying the effort.
“When I was 6 years old, my dad had a stroke and it was very traumatic to say the least,” Kavuma said. “I saw all of the nurses, doctors and therapists take extremely good care of my dad, and I was just in awe of their job. I knew from that point on that I was sold on a career in healthcare.”
He also didn’t have to look far to see current examples of how fulfilling a career in healthcare can be.
“I have a slew of healthcare professionals on my mom and dad’s sides of the family,” Kavuma said. “For example, my mom and my aunt are nurse practitioners, their older sister is a doctor, their younger brother is a registered nurse (RN), their mom was also a registered nurse, and I also have many more examples in my family.”
Kavuma’s next goal is to graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from GHC in May 2024, and then go on to complete a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) with a focus in Family Nurse Practitioner or Emergency Nurse Practitioner in May 2027.
“As an RN, I would like to work in both the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit,” Kavuma said.
As a student, Kavuma said GHC provided him with experiences he would not have been awarded if he attended college elsewhere, such as graduating with the ability to become an RN two years earlier than those who do not enroll through the High School Graduate option, making lifelong friends, and gaining real-world experiences at GHC.
“All of the professors that I have had have been more than willing to help me understand the material when I am confused, have been very personable and able to relate to my struggles, and more than enthusiastic about the material that they are teaching,” Kavuma said. “I have enjoyed GHC outside of the classroom because it introduced me to several healthcare facilities, and I ended up receiving jobs as an ER tech due to these encounters.”
Georgia Highlands College will hold its 2023 commencement ceremonies on Thursday, May 11, at the Floyd Campus gym, 3175 Cedartown Hwy, Rome GA 30161. The 2023 commencement ceremonies will be held May 11 at 11AM and 7PM, with the Nursing pinning and commencement ceremony at 3PM. More information can be found on the commencement ceremony page regarding details, directions and campus guidelines.
A livestream of the event will be available here.
