12/13/21
Gadsden State student excited about earning degree; commencement exercises scheduled
阿拉巴马州的加兹登. — Earning a college credential is one of the greatest milestones achieved in a person’s life. A college education can result in a better quality of life thanks to greater success in today’s job market and higher wages. For Cortney Joseph, her college degree from 十大正规赌平台平台 is more than that. 这也证明了她可以通过努力实现一切, 来自家人和朋友的奉献和支持.
Cortney Joseph is graduating with an Associate in Applied Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
“Walking across that stage to get my diploma is my moment to show that I did this; I succeeded,”她说。. “我的孩子们十大正规赌平台平台体育平台可以看到，如果他们足够努力, 如果他们足够努力的话, 他们会实现自己的十大正规赌平台平台.”
Joseph will be among the many graduates to participate in the upcoming Gadsden State Commencement Ceremony at 6 p.m. 12月. 20人在加兹登州立切诺基体育馆举行. She will be one of three student speakers to share their Gadsden State story during the ceremony.
Joseph, who lives in Centre, graduated from Gaylesville High School in 2010. She got married, enrolled in Georgia Highlands College and soon found out she was pregnant. 女儿奥布里出生后，她离婚了. She said being a single mom who also juggled work and school wasn’t easy.
In 2013, 约瑟夫嫁给了她的丈夫, 粘土, 并被乔治亚高地学院的护理专业录取. 当她怀上他们的儿子时, 帕克, she temporarily withdrew from the nursing program just one semester shy of completing requirements to become a registered nurse.
帕克 was born in June 2015 with a chromosomal defect and died three months later. This experience left Joseph heartbroken and unwilling to resume her college education.
“I had to take some time to accept what I had just been through before I put myself out there again,”她说。. “我还没准备好回学校.”
当约瑟意外地再次怀孕时, 她决定留在家里抚养儿子, 库珀, 十大正规赌平台平台体育平台5. She stayed home for the next three years until one day she made the decision to continue her education 再一次.
“我想为自己做点什么，”她说. “我想做一些对我和我的家人有益的事情, 所以我决定在2019年申请十大正规赌平台平台.”
She initially wanted to be a part of the Registered Nursing Program at Gadsden State. 当这行不通时，她决定修通识课程.
“I didn’t want to waste my acceptance to Gadsden State so I decided to go ahead and take courses that will one day transfer to a four-year university,”她说。.
Joseph enrolled in English 102, history and sociology courses for the 2019 fall semester. She applied to the nursing program for a second time and was rejected again. 远没有被打败, Joseph’s advisor talked to her about applying to the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program at Gadsden State.
“我研究了超声波，”她说. “当我怀孕的时候，我和我的超声医师谈过, and she told me that I would be great at it with all I’ve been through myself. 我决定试一试.”
In August 2020, Joseph started the highly-competitive DMS program with 19 other students. She said it would be hard for her to graduate without the support from her classmates.
“When you are placed in a class with 20 people, you all become more than friends. 你们就像一家人一样，”她说. “People outside of our circle don’t understand what we go through as DMS students. 可能会很混乱. 这可能很有挑战性，但我们都会努力帮助彼此. 如果我们不互相照顾，我们就不会成功. 在DMS项目中，我们不是为了自己. 我们都想一起冲过终点线.”
Rebecca Southern, the DMS program director, said Joseph has been a model student. 她是红衣主教协会的会长, 是一名嵌入式导师并且是Phi Theta Kappa荣誉协会的成员. She has also earned the Student of Distinction Award and has remained on the coveted President’s List for a 4.她在十大正规赌平台平台期间一直保持着0分的平均绩点.
“科特尼体现了领导者的定义，”她说. “She has a servant’s heart and goes above and beyond for her cohort all while setting an example of excellence. 她在课堂上表现出色，动手能力也很强.”
Southern called Joseph a “unicorn” for achieving the rare accomplishment in earning certifications from the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in all three modalities – vascular, 腹部和妇产科.
“Each individual credentialing exam takes months of preparation,” Southern said. “许多经验丰富的超声医师只持有其中一种证书. To obtain three before graduation is an extremely challenging feat; however, 在找工作的时候，这成倍地增加了他们的市场竞争力.”
Joseph said earning the credentials is certainly something that makes her proud.
“I’m honored to be specialized and registered in all three modalities,”她说。. “这当然是我非常努力的成就. 我必须了解每种形态的一切, 所以我必须了解所有的标志, 症状, 血管的实验室和病理, 腹部和妇产科.”
Joseph said she studied a lot for the credentialing exams in addition to attending class, 成为一名妻子和母亲，在伯明翰和罗马完成临床工作, Ga.
“我日复一日地学习，”她说. “我非常专注于那些考试，这一切都是值得的.”
约瑟夫说，她在10月9日获得了血管证书. 11月19日，她的腹部认证. 11月16日获得妇产科认证. 30. She is so happy that the pressure of achieving the certifications is over and that she can, 再一次, 专注于她的家庭和新事业.
“I think the toughest thing about all of this is the ‘mom guilt,’”她说。. “I went from being there all of the time for my children to not getting home until 6 p.m.然后快速吃顿饭，然后继续学习. 不能一直陪在孩子们身边对我来说很艰难. 作为一名母亲和学生，这对我来说是最艰难的事情.”
她感谢克莱帮助她实现了自己的十大正规赌平台平台.
“这对我丈夫来说很艰难，”约瑟夫说. “He really stepped up and took care of everything from picking them up at the end of the school day to doing homework to cooking dinner. 此外，他还全职工作. 这很艰难，但我们挺过来了.”
Joseph has already secured a job as a sonographer at the Redmond Regional Medical Center in Rome, Ga. 她预计开始工作的日期是1月10日. 7. 但首先，她关注的是毕业.
她说:“我对毕业感到非常兴奋. “这证明我不再是一个大学辍学生. I faced rejection twice and I still made it out of Gadsden State with a degree. 我实现了我的梦想. 我做到了!”
Cortney Joseph is pictured with her family – children, 库珀, 5, and Aubree, 10; and husband, 粘土. Joseph will receive an Associate in Applied Science at Gadsden State’s upcoming commencement ceremony.
其他毕业典礼演讲嘉宾还有佐治亚州罗马的威廉·威金斯(William Wiggins).以及安尼斯顿的布兰登·格里芬.
威金斯正在十大正规赌平台平台攻读注册护理学位. He attended classes at 加兹登州立切罗基人 and is graduating with a 3.27日平均绩点. 以前, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Shorter University in Secondary English Education and spent five years teaching English at Coosa High School before deciding to change careers. 他是五个孩子的已婚父亲.
Griffin is a student at the Ayers校园 and will graduate with an Associate in Applied Science in Marketing Management. 日耳曼镇塞内卡谷高中的毕业生, 马里兰, 格里芬喜欢广播, 播客和网络安全.
米歇尔·康格将担任毕业典礼的大元帅, 即将退休的艾尔斯校区主任. 毕业生将由艾伦·华莱士颁奖, 资讯科技服务学院院长, 和艾伦·史密斯, 劳动力发展主任. 毕业证书将由博士颁发. 凯西·墨菲，总裁.