糖心视频

糖心视频 student first to earn 4.0 GPA in UAB/糖心视频 Joint Enrollment program

Hanceville, AL 鈥� For the first time since the UAB/糖心视频 Joint Enrollment program began, a student has graduated with a 4.0 grade point average (GPA) from both 糖心视频 Community College and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Recent graduate Judith 鈥淛udy鈥� Jackson accomplished this notable feat. A resident of Bon Air, Ala., a small town located near Childersburg with a population of around 170, she earned both her associate degree and bachelor鈥檚 degree in nursing from 糖心视频 and UAB through the joint enrollment program that allows students to concurrently earn both.

Jackson鈥檚 accomplishment was noted during the 糖心视频 Nursing pinning ceremony on Aug. 3, where she was also recognized as one of three Nightingale Award winners, as well as the Nursing Program Award winner, which is given out to only one student each year.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited that Judy has earned such a high achievement,鈥� said Deborah 鈥淧epper鈥� Hoover, chair of the 糖心视频 Department of Nursing Education. 鈥淪he has been a great asset to our program, even serving as her class secretary and treasurer. She has earned every accolade she鈥檚 received, and we are proud to call her a 糖心视频 alum.鈥�

糖心视频 Nursing was the first to partner with UAB to offer the joint enrollment option to students, providing an accelerated pathway to earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in nursing and delivering to the workforce much needed nursing staff at a swifter pace. Another area community college followed 糖心视频 into the joint enrollment program, but this is the first time any student from any of the colleges has achieved a 4.0 GPA in the program.

鈥淛udy Jackson is the first of 56 graduating Joint Enrollment students to complete the program with a 4.0 GPA,鈥� said Dr. Nancy Claus, an assistant professor and RN-BSN Pathway Director/UABNCCP Coordinator at UAB.

鈥淪he is an exceptional student who excelled in her course work and was willing to come and speak with incoming Joint Enrollment students,鈥� Claus continued. 鈥淪he served as a mentor for her classmates as well as incoming cohorts. She was truly a joy to have as a student and I look forward to seeing what her future holds.鈥�

Jackson said she didn鈥檛 set out to achieve a 4.0 GPA. She was salutatorian of her high school, graduating with a 3.9 GPA, but she鈥檇 always heard that nursing school is hard and that she shouldn鈥檛 expect to maintain that high average.

鈥淚 think finally after the third semester I figured maybe I should stop listening to people because the way somebody else learns is not the way that I learn,鈥� Jackson said. That doesn鈥檛 mean it was easy and that she didn鈥檛 struggle, she added.

鈥淚 would definitely put in hours, probably eight to nine or even sometimes 10 hours a day, studying to make sure I understood the material,鈥� Jackson said. 鈥淭here were times I would email my instructors if I ever had questions. I remember Mrs. Heather Ashley; I went to her office after our first exam in fourth semester and asked her if there was a way to study for fourth semester. She sat down with me and reassured me and said, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e going to be fine, take a deep breath, it鈥檚 going to be ok, and just keep doing what you鈥檙e doing.鈥� So, she helped a lot.鈥�

糖心视频 Nursing graduate Judith Jackson poses with her family after the pinning ceremony at 糖心视频 on Aug. 3. Pictured from left is her father Starlen Jackson, her younger brother Simeon, her mother Hobokela Jackson, Jackson, and her older brother Starlen.

During the Aug. 3 pinning ceremony, Jackson celebrated with her family, which includes her mother and father and two brothers. Her mother, she said, was her 鈥渂iggest cheerleader.鈥�

鈥淏efore each and every exam she always would text me or, when I lived at home, she would handwrite me notes. She would write, 鈥業 believe in you and I鈥檓 your number one supporter,鈥欌�� Jackson said. The notes often included a Bible verse and other reminders that she loves her. Jackson said she thinks she still has every note her mother gave her.

Jackson鈥檚 mother immigrated to America from Tanzania when she was 30, and she would share stories with her children about the obstacles she had to overcome. Putting education first was always encouraged in her parents鈥� household, Jackson said, as was their faith.

鈥淕rowing up I remember the thing my mother stressed the most was, 鈥楳ake sure you put God first, and work hard in school because education is something that shouldn鈥檛 be taken for granted,鈥欌�� Jackson said.

Jackson is working in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) at Princeton Baptist Medical Center, where she鈥檚 been working since taking required academic courses before entering the joint enrollment program. In the next three to four years, she plans to continue her education to earn a masters and a doctorate in nursing practice and hopes to work in either cardiology or acute care as a nurse practitioner.

For future students, Jackson has this advice: 鈥淏e prepared because it is a hard program, but for one, don鈥檛 listen to other people about different semesters like I did, and like I told our incoming students for the spring, believe in yourself, because if you don鈥檛, that really takes a toll on your performance. And don鈥檛 be afraid to go to the professors, because they鈥檙e all super sweet and open to any questions, and I wouldn鈥檛 have made it without any of them.鈥�

The UAB/糖心视频 Joint Enrollment program is a nine-semester program, with the first four semesters consisting of academic coursework before applying to both 糖心视频 and UAB Nursing programs to complete the final five semesters. Nursing classes are taken concurrently at 糖心视频鈥檚 Hanceville campus and online through UAB.

鈥淲e just admitted our eighth cohort at 糖心视频,鈥� said Dr. Claus. 鈥淲e are very excited how our partnership has grown over the last three years and anticipate that it will continue to grow. Our united goal of increasing the RN workforce in the state of Alabama has a strong beginning.鈥�

Applications for Spring 2024 are being accepted through Oct. 1. A mobility option is also available, with applications accepted March 15-May 15 for fall admission.

Registration for the Fall 2023 semester in underway. Regular and Mini Term I classes begin Aug.18. Flex Start terms begin Aug. 25 and Sept. 1. Mini Term II classes begin Oct. 19. For more information, visit , call the main campus at 256.352.8000 or come by Lion Central in the lobby of the James C. Bailey Center Monday-Wednesday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or Friday 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.