20 minute read
Bachelor’s degrees at GHC
The Most Affordable Bachelor’s Degree is Here!
Georgia Highlands College supports thousands of students from over 30 counties in Northwest Georgia. With access to five sites in Rome, Cartersville, Marietta, and Dallas, GHC brings over 40 areas of study in associate and bachelor’s degree options to students in this region. And with a robust GHC Online program, students will find the same caring flexibility and support wherever they take classes.
GHC is proud to say, “We have the most affordable bachelor’s degrees in Northwest Georgia.”
As an access-mission college, GHC maintains the same high-quality academic and degree expectations seen at every college within the University System of Georgia while continuing to offer a college degree at one of the lowest costs in the state or country.
More than that, bachelor’s degrees at GHC are targeted and career focused. Regardless if you’re right out of high school or you’ve been out for a while or you’re working full time and taking care of a family – the bachelor’s programs at GHC are designed to meet your college and career goals.
Talk to Eric Johnson (page 4) who – while working for Amazon – decided to return to school as he worked. He is now using his bachelor’s degree in logistics and supply chain management for career advancement to higher-level positions in the company.
Ask Dillan Frazier (page 6) about how the bachelor’s degree in health science landed him a spot in medical school and is preparing him for a highly-skilled profession.
Find out how Katherine Moore (page 7) took a passion for healthcare and applied it to the demand for rising fields. She found a place in the healthcare business that she enjoys and became an essential part of the team.
See what LaQuisha Pillow (page 8) has to say about being a single parent while working full time and going through the supportive and flexible nursing courses at GHC to earn her bachelor’s degree and increase her opportunities as a nurse.
Learn how Breanna Normandy (page 9) took the specialized training she received in her bachelor’s program at GHC to break into a new career she loves – one that provides her “endless opportunity” to advance.
It doesn’t matter where you are in life. GHC can help you achieve your college and career goals. And the most affordable bachelor’s degrees in Northwest Georgia are proven to make a difference in the lives of GHC’s graduates. Read more about the success of GHC’s bachelor’s degrees and the students taking charge in each of these programs in this special section. When you’re ready to make a difference in your own life, reach out to our admissions team at go.highlands.edu so GHC can show you the path forward.
Career Advancement
Bachelor’s in Logistics and Supply Chain Management gives Eric Johnson a path to high-level positions at Amazon
In his current role at Amazon as a Learning Assistant, Eric Johnson has always wanted to find a clear path to higher-level positions. Eric found that path with the Bachelor of Business in Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Georgia Highlands College.
He said his general interest in logistics and supply chain management has come from his time at Amazon – where the skills are highly sought-after and highly utilized within the company.
Eric started his college journey pursuing an associate degree at GHC focused on business administration. He then used that as a foundation for GHC’s bachelor’s degree in logistics and supply chain management.
“Through the program at GHC, I have gained significant knowledge on logistical processes, problems, and solutions that have translated over to my current job with Amazon,” Eric said. “The result has made me more skillful and able to quickly problem-solve to ensure an efficient flow through the warehouse and down the road.”
Eric graduates with his bachelor’s degree from GHC in May 2022. He said the new skills he has learned will give him the option to improve on his current role at Amazon, as well as explore higher-level positions at Amazon thanks to earning his bachelor’s at GHC.
“It is important for me to be financially independent and stable as it creates a better life for not only me but my family around me,” Eric said. “I would like anyone who is thinking about going to college to do it! It will help and enhance your life in ways you cannot begin to imagine.”
Learning to Solve Complex Problems for a Better Future
Untangling and solving the complicated and complex issues facing logistics and supply chain today are at the forefront of the learning process at GHC. While logistics and supply chain management covers a breadth of topics, Eric said supply chain risk mitigation is one aspect he finds very interesting, and it ties directly into what he does at Amazon.
“There are several aspects to mitigating risk within the supply chain through management programs, process problem identification plus solution, as well as ideologies such as ISO 31000 (risk management),” he said.
Eric explained how what he learned at GHC is vital to solving logistics and supply chain problems which ultimately make for a better future in the field that has grown tremendously over the past few years.
“Being able to diversify and become a creative problem-solver in risk mitigation has proven beneficial as I worked for the Network Operations Center team for Amazon tracking risk via over-the-road transportation and warehouse operations. I was able to connect the dots and develop a better understanding through GHC’s program by connecting it with my job, and it has almost become an obsession.”
Working with Hands-On Faculty
Eric has been very happy with his experience working one-on-one with faculty at GHC, leading to expanding and growing his knowledge beyond just what happens in the classroom. In his studies, Eric developed a supply chain risk mitigation honors project with Logistics and Supply Chain Management Professor Lucinda Montgomery.
“Not only has [Professor Montgomery] allowed me to run with the project and go multiple different directions with it, but she’s also been wonderful as it pertains to understanding how my mind operates,” he said.
Eric said the amount of care, support, and attention GHC faculty gives students really helps to make a difference in the learning outcomes
and success rate with each project and class.
“[Professor Montgomery] has been understanding that it is difficult for me to translate my thoughts to paper and provided me with several ideas and avenues on how to handle it and create a truly enticing project,” he said. “She has been a very influential person in my life for [these last few] years, and I am incredibly grateful that she allowed me to work on this project with her.”
Real World Applications and Internships
Utilizing the history of logistics and supply chain alongside current aspects, Eric and a group of his classmates researched and presented on the topic of Digital Twins.
“Digital Twins is a fascinating topic ranging back to NASA and how they would model parts of their stations and tools back on earth,” he said. “The point of this was that if something went wrong, they could figure out how to solve the issue on earth for easier operations in space.”
He explained currently Digital Twins are used in recreating human environments, warehousing processes, and are even used in how we create T-shirts on a simplistic level.
“Having a digital version of a physical object or situation improves the ability to edit, reprogram, or modify to have a successful product or process,” he said. “On a basic level, think how we go online to custom order something – we get to see the digital version of the physical object we have ordered.”
Eric also completed a 3D warehousing project for the program, which allowed him to utilize his experience from working at Amazon.
“Being able to identify parts of a warehouse such as cross-dock and the type of warehouses such as an ‘L’ shape or ‘I’ shape proved to be beneficial to my team at the time,” he said. “While I had the familiarity, putting it together was somewhat more challenging. Going from paper to physical object proved a unique and creative challenge that we winded up fairing well on.”
Additionally, Eric interned with the BartowCartersville Joint Development Authority, which he said provided him with a unique and exciting analytical perspective of how the local economy functions.
“Being able to see behind the scenes how companies find suitable land and buildings to purchase/ lease and the variables they look at the most has been a tremendous eye-opener for me,” he said.
Bachelor’s degree leads to medical school for Frazier
In a few months, after graduating from Georgia Highlands College, Dillan Frazier will fly to the Caribbean to attend the Trinity School of Medicine located at St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Dillan started as a GHC dual enrollment student in high school and will finish at GHC with a Bachelor of Science in Health Science. From the moment he started, the goal was always to find a path to graduate school. And for Dillan, this is another step toward a career in medicine that the bachelor’s program at GHC has prepared him for.
Earning a Spot at Top Choice Graduate Schools
After GHC, Dillan will attend his first two years of medical school in the Caribbean, then he will conclude medical school in Warner Robins, Georgia.
“Following medical school, I plan to match at a top teaching hospital for Cardiothoracic surgery,” he said. “I will complete a one-year internship and a five-year residency upon completion of medical school. After becoming a Cardiothoracic Surgeon, I will work my way to the Chief of Surgery. My goal is to eventually come back to my community and help keep them healthy.”
A Cardiothoracic Surgeon specializes in surgical procedures of the heart, lungs, esophagus, and other organs in the chest.
Dillan said the Trinity School of Medicine is his top choice for medical school, largely due to its studentcentered objective.
“The school cares for the students. The teacher ratio is 1:10, and therefore, it allows interaction between professor and student to enable me to grasp the material better,” Frazier said. “Trinity Medical School reminds me a lot of GHC. I am accustomed to professors who care and want their students to succeed. Therefore, I was drawn into this medical school due to my experience at GHC.”
Frazier said he was “speechless” when he learned he had been accepted.
“I never dreamed of going to medical school 6,333
FRAZIER– continued on page 33 Graduate School
Meeting the Demand
Moore takes charge of the business behind healthcare management with a bachelor’s degree
Healthcare continues to be one of the fastest growing career sectors in the nation. For students like Katherine Moore, the option at Georgia Highlands College to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration in Healthcare Management is the perfect route to become an essential member of any healthcare management team.
As a graduate of the program, Katherine says earning her bachelor’s from GHC allowed her to follow a longtime career goal. Currently serving as Senior Patient Intake Coordinator at Fresenius Medical Care, she said the role is a perfect fit for what she envisioned for a career in healthcare.
Finding the Right Career
Katherine always wanted to join the rapidly growing healthcare field, but it wasn’t until she sat down with faculty and staff at GHC that she learned how many options there really were.
“I knew I wanted to work in healthcare, however I was not personally drawn to bedside care such as nursing, therapies, or anything that was in a direct hospital or clinical setting,” Katherine said. “I knew I wanted to do something in healthcare, however I knew very quickly that I was not meant to be a nurse or a physician. I still wanted to work in the sector, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do.”
After completing her associate degree in business administration, Katherine started the Bachelor of Business Administration in Healthcare Management at GHC and felt the program would be the best route for her to pursue a career in healthcare. She said she found it interesting to learn about the behindthe-scenes elements of working in the field.
“Everyone knows about the patient care aspect and billing, but you don’t fully realize all of the other departments and hands that are involved with patient care, such as Social Workers, Case Managers, Operations Specialists, Hospital Liaisons, and so many more,” she said.
Becoming Essential to the Team
Katherine describes her position at Fresenius Medical Care as working both as a Coordinator and a Supervisor/Manager. “I have my own caseload of patients that we get from outside sources, and I have to place each patient at a clinic, obtain medical documents, obtain insurance clearance, and confirm the patient’s medical acceptance and appointment times,” she said. “I also assist my team of nine other coordinators with their caseloads and assist them with placements with various types of barriers.”
Although every day is a little different, Katherine said a typical day in her role consists of assisting her team with handling dialysis placements in various ways, such as speaking to clinics, solving problems with the placement itself, and guiding on efficient ways to handle one’s caseload. In addition, she has to pull reports, obtain statistics for upper management, and numerous other tasks that are passed to her that vary throughout the day.
She says handling her varying and growing volume of responsibilities is the most challenging aspect of her position.
“Some days, you will have a very light caseload and it’s easy to work, but other days, your caseload triples, and you have to manage both your time and your resources to take care of all of your patients,” Katherine said.
Building a Lasting Foundation
Katherine said she considers graduating Magna Cum Laude as her greatest accomplishment while at
MOORE– continued on page 33
Increasing Opportunitiy
Pillow utilizes all of GHC’s flexible options to pursue passion in nursing
LaQuisha Pillow is a nurse at AdventHealth Redmond. Between working full time and taking care of her family, she’ll be the first to tell you Georgia Highlands College provides the flexible options students need to be successful in their college and career goals.
LaQuisha takes with her on the job every day her studies in the Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) from GHC and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN).
“I work on a Step-Down unit with a significant amount of our patient population being cardiovascular and thoracic patients,” LaQuisha said. “This includes open heart surgery, abdominal aortic aneurysm, carotids, amputees, chest pain, and more.”
And she has big goals ahead, including pursuing a master’s degree in nursing. GHC’s nursing program and bachelor’s degree, she says, is helping her get there.
“Obtaining my RN-BSN degree will expedite the process of me stepping into a charge nurse or leadership role,” she said.
Flexibility and Options
LaQuisha will attest that her path toward a bachelor’s wasn’t easy, but she was committed and GHC provided the way.
“I am a non-traditional student, I work full-time hours and overtime when my unit needs it, [and] I am a single-mom… I understand the feeling of being overwhelmed, but I didn’t let that stop me. Instead, I let it be my motivation,” she said. “Don’t let life and adversity stop you from achieving your goals. The time will pass regardless, so utilize it to the best of your ability.”
In addition, she said GHC’s flexible class options helped her to move through her education while also handling personal responsibilities.
“GHC offers full-time and part-time options, as well as day and nighttime options. You can absolutely reach your goals, and the feeling of accomplishment is indescribable,” LaQuisha said. “Find the best fit for you, and make it happen.”
Breanna Normandy joins one of the fastest growing career sectors after earning bachelor’s
After adding a Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia Highlands College to her resume, Breanna Normandy broke into the rapidly growing field of logistics and supply chain management, which was the focus of her degree.
She said her decision to enroll at GHC for a bachelor’s degree was crucial for getting the career she was looking for, and her time at GHC helped her learn the skills necessary to be an effective leader.
“There is nothing you cannot do with this degree,” she said.
Rising to the Top
Breanna works as a Warehouse Supervisor for National Diversified Sales, Inc. (NDS). She’s also in charge of Retail Customer Compliance. Originally interning for the company as a part of her studies at GHC, she said the company created the supervisor position in order to bring her on full time after she graduated.
“There is endless opportunity,” she said.
A typical day for Breanna has her flexing all her bachelor’s degree skills, she added.
“I spend about 50% of my time in the warehouse, helping and observing safety and productivity,” she said. “For the other 50%, I am creating Tableau dashboards for retail compliance, disputing charges with retailers, and on many process improvement calls.”
But for her, what’s even more exciting is the opportunity to help the company continue to grow through her supervisory role, saying she hopes she can help “create more supervisor positions in NDS at all our warehouses to continue the great mentorship NDS has to offer.”
Learning the Right Skills to Thrive in a Career
Breanna said that managing communication and workflow across a large warehouse operation effectively can be one of the most challenging aspects of her role, but GHC’s bachelor’s program prepared her to be a great leader in the workplace.
On top of the most interesting topics for her, like learning about the in-depth process of internal logistics, Breanna said the leadership classes she took in the bachelor’s program have been essential to her. She even goes back to reference her class notes and textbooks for
guidance when confronting a particularly difficult scenario. Additionally, Breanna notes the bonds she built with her fellow classmates in the same bachelor’s cohort who went through the program alongside her and helped her develop key leadership skills like teamwork. “Being in the same class with the same students created such a strong bond and friendship as a group,” she said, adding she and her classmates would go out to dinner and enjoy other activities and events together. “One girl from class is now my best friend, and I speak to her every day. Another friend from class gave me my German Shepherd after class one day, and now he’s the light of my life.” Breanna added that anyone considering the Bachelor of Business Administration in Logistics and Supply Chain Management at GHC should know the program itself is designed to give students the knowledge and skill set needed to be successful in the field – and she’s the proof. Specialized Training
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE - BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING MANAGEMENT
BIMM is the technology-driven process for estimating, creating and managing information and visuals on a construction project. A building information model represents a 3D version of every aspect of the project, from facade to foundation to structural steel. This is one of just two programs of its kind in the nation.
Career options: Architect, BIM Manager, Civil Engineer, VDC Engineer, Project Manager, Mapping Technician, Industrial Designer, Building Inspector, Cost Estimator, Building Construction Manager
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE - DENTAL HYGIENE
Students with an accredited associate degree in dental hygiene and who hold a license to practice dental hygiene in the United States, may be admitted to the RDH to BSDH Completion program. This program is available 100% online with the exception of an internship course that can be completed in the student’s local community.
Career options: Private Dental Offices, Schools, Public Health Clinics, Hospitals, Managed Care Organizations, Correctional Institutions, Nursing Homes, Pharmaceutical or Product Sales
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE*
This degree aims to produce graduates who are competent to collect, analyze, correlate, and evaluate scientific data pertaining to environmental and natural resources. Graduates of the EVNR degree program will be able to assess the health of various ecosystems, recommend strategies and methods for maintaining or improving the environment, effectively manage the use and protection of natural resources, and understand multiple dimensions of environmental sustainability issues.
*Pending SACSCOC approval.
Career options: Wildlife Biologist, Environmental Scientist,
Conservation Biologist, Natural Resource Manager, Field/Lab
Technicians, Forester, Ecologist, Veterinarian, Educator
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE - HEALTH SCIENCE
This degree prepares students with an interest in pursuing advanced clinical and non-clinical healthcare degrees or career advancement. Your classes will give you a broad base to build on if you continue your studies in fields such as public health, exercise science, nutrition, or medicine. Or you may choose an undergraduate specialty such as health and wellness educator and go straight into a job after graduation.
Career options: Child Development Specialist, Community Health Consultant, Community Health Education Coordinator, Dentist, Health Benefit Navigator, Health Coach, Medical Doctor
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE - NURSING (RN TO BSN COMPLETION PROGRAM)
The RN-BSN Completion Program is offered completely online and can be completed in three consecutive semesters full-time or four or more semesters part-time by completing the program’s course requirements. Students are required to come to an orientation session once in the summer prior to beginning the program.
Career options: Hospitals, Home Health Care, Nursing Homes,
Doctor’s Offices, Community Centers, Outpatient Care
Facilities, Insurance companies
Logistics and Supply Chain Management offers students the foundational knowledge and practical skills that are essential for efficient logistics and supply chain operations. Logistics typically refers to activities that occur within the boundaries of a single organization, and supply chains refer to networks of companies that work together and coordinate their actions to deliver a product to market. Traditional logistics focuses its attention on activities such as procurement, distribution, maintenance, and inventory management. Supply Chain Management (SCM) acknowledges all of traditional logistics and also includes activities such as marketing, new product development, finance, and customer service.
Career options: Vendor and Purchasing Logistics Management, Materials and Warehousing Management, Production Management, Inventory Control Management, Human Resources
Healthcare Management offers students the foundational knowledge and practical skills that are essential for a demanding and rapidly changing healthcare industry. Healthcare managers, also called healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, are at the heart of the business behind the healthcare field as these experts are in charge of planning, directing, and coordinating medical and health services in clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, doctors’ offices and more.
Career options: Hospital Administration, Clinic Administration, Health Information Management, Nursing Management, Rehabilitation Administration, General Management, Finance
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE - CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREE*
(eMajor) Georgia Highlands College also provides an eMajor through the University System of Georgia for an online criminal justice degree. The purpose of the online criminal justice degree is to prepare students for employment within the criminal justice system in the areas of municipal, state, and federal law enforcement; corrections; juvenile justice and probation, etc., by providing students with a foundation of the knowledge, principles, theories, and functions common to the American Criminal Justice system. Criminal Justice eMajor partner institutions have pre-evaluated Georgia’s POST training curriculum for applicable credit for prior learning in the BS in Criminal Justice
program. * Tuition costs and fees for this program are greater than GHC’s other bachelor’s degree programs. Visit emajor.usg.edu to learn more about the program structure and costs.
