Cassandra (Cassie) Cruz, a spring 2024 graduate of Georgia Highlands College (GHC) and a 2021 graduate of Cedartown High School is not stopping with an associate degree in business administration – she plans to continue her education by pursing a bachelor’s degree in marketing and digital marketing from the University of West Georgia.
She says her time at GHC has not only prepared her academically for the additional challenges of earning a bachelor’s degree, but also helped her build a foundation while continuing a family tradition.
“After high school, I was not sure what I wanted to major in, all I knew was that I wanted a college degree of some sort. Georgia Highlands, from what I heard, was a great starter school,” Cruz said. “My mom, cousin and two aunts went to Georgia Highlands to receive their associate degrees and they are all highly successful women today. And because of them having such positive experiences here, that made my decision clear about choosing Georgia Highlands College.”
The business administration program helped her to develop and hone her skillset and plan for her future endeavors.
“I feel as though the program did a great job at getting me started and interested in business. The teachers were helpful and had great teaching strategies,” Cruz said. “The college also provided business mixers, which were highly informative and helpful as well as introducing some local networking clubs such as the Rotaract Club.”
She has been able to obtain additional skills and cash at GHC by working for the college bookstore and taking photos for the bookstore’s Instagram.
“I believe students should really consider on-campus employment because it is super convenient to work and attend school at the same place,” Cruz said. “My experience working in the bookstore has been great, I learned so much about retail, sales, teamwork and customer service. I love photography, so taking the pictures for the Georgia Highlands Bookstore Instagram has been so much fun!”
She has also been able to apply what she has learned in her accounting class to her inventory responsibilities at the bookstore.
“I also took an Excel class, and in that time, I learned a lot about the different functions of Excel and now I can use that knowledge when working with our Excel spreadsheets for different items at the bookstore,” Cruz said.
She said her time at GHC has impacted her personal life in many positive ways.
“For example, I was able to take advantage of the tutoring center, the Writing Center and the counseling services that were offered, they were all super nice and helpful,” Cruz said. “I also felt with having such a busy schedule as a young adult that time management can be hard, but I was able to construct a flexible schedule that worked for me and still managed to work full time.”
Cruz also shared inspiring words to students and recent graduates of her first alma mater:
“One thing I would like Cedartown High School students to know is that it is ok not to know exactly what you want to do after high school, but if you are still looking to get a college degree, I recommend starting off at Georgia Highlands,” Cruz said. “It will not break the bank, you can stay close to home, and you can still knock out mandatory core classes.”
Georgia Highlands College will hold its 2024 commencement ceremonies on Thursday, May 9, at the Floyd Campus gym, 3175 Cedartown Hwy, Rome GA 30161. The 2024 commencement ceremonies will be held May 9 at 10:30AM and 6:30PM, with the Nursing pinning and commencement ceremony at 2:30PM. 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.
Start classes this summer or fall. Enroll today at highlands.edu
