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Nichole Rann
doesn’t have a lot of spare time.
The 19-year-old first-year student takes a full course load,
works 10 hours for the Student Activities Office, and spends
another 15 hours per week working in the art department at
Marketing Alliance.
But when she does have some time off, she enjoys pursuing a
newfound passion: scuba diving.
“I recently got my open water scuba diving certification,” says
Rann, who made the dean’s list last fall during her first
semester and who plans on earning a Registered Nursing (RN)
degree.
“My boyfriend and I went to Florida in February to become
certified, and we both plan on getting our rescue certification
as well.”
As part of their certification process, Rann and her boyfriend
Jamie Franks, a firefighter, explored the underwater worlds of
the Rainbow River, Blue Grotto, and Troy Springs, all in
Florida.
“It’s an amazing experience to put all of your gear on and jump
in the water. It’s a whole different world down there. You see
all kinds of fish and turtles. We’re planning a trip to the
Florida Keys in August, which will be our first ocean
experience. That will be different because we’ll have to deal
with the currents and of course, sharks and much larger fish.”
The passion that Rann feels for scuba diving is very similar to
her passion for working with the Student Activities Office at
Dalton State. |
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Before she began working as a student assistant to Shawntay
Simones, Coordinator of Civic Engagement and Civic Learning in
the Student Activities Office, Rann typically came to class,
reported for work at Marketing Alliance, and went home to study.
Now, she’s thoroughly involved in all aspects of student life –
and loving it.
“Since I’ve been involved with Student Activities, school has
been a lot of fun,” she admits. “I have really enjoyed the
interaction with other students and I’ve been in on the planning
of many of the activities, especially the website.”
This March, Rann accompanied about 22 other students and three
advisors on the Alternative Spring Break trip to Savannah,
Georgia, where the students performed volunteer work for three
organizations: the Savannah Tree Foundation, the Tybee Island
Beautification Project, and the Oatland Island Education Center.
“On that trip, everybody clicked,” she says, “from the time we
got in the van all the way through. We were able to all work
together at those sites and everyone was enthusiastic about
wanting to do more volunteer work in our own community as well.”
In her role as a student assistant, she is working on a project
to create a volunteer network of Dalton State students who will
help local community organizations, similar to what was done in
Savannah.
“I’ve always been interested in helping people and giving back
to others,” she says. “And I’ve always been drawn to the health
field.”
The desire to help has fueled her desire to go into nursing,
where she hopes to work her way toward an exciting career
working in a hospital emergency room or on the labor and
delivery floor.
“It’s really exciting to know how to help people when
something’s wrong with them medically, when they’re in a
situation where they can’t help themselves.”
After she earns her associate degree in Registered Nursing, Rann
says she plans to pursue a Bachelor in Science in Nursing (BSN)
degree.
“I hope that Dalton State will offer that degree in the future,
so I can stay here to complete my bachelor’s degree,” she says.
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