¶¶Òõ̽̽App produces 76 fall BSN graduates
With the urgent need for health care professionals in northeast Georgia, the University of North Georgia (¶¶Òõ̽̽App) is producing a growing number of new leaders in the nursing career path.
"The ¶¶Òõ̽̽App Nursing Department provides expert faculty, state-of-the-art simulation and hands-on clinical experience at an affordable price," Dr. Heather Harris, Nursing Department head, said. "With the highest NCLEX pass rate in the state of Georgia over the last four years, ¶¶Òõ̽̽App is one of the best values in nursing education in the region."
The pathway has often been seen as one of the most challenging, and that is without the external factors most students face.
Sophia Coarsey is no stranger to adversity. She started her college education at the University of Georgia in 2016 before fully transferring to ¶¶Òõ̽̽App in January 2022 to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). The change came after learning of her seizure disorder, epilepsy.
Despite the challenges she faced with her condition, the Suwanee, Georgia, resident pushed through to complete her BSN as the first student to do so with a service dog. Coarsey, an avid reader, has been interested in the field since the fifth grade and was one of 76 BSN students who were pinned and graduated on Dec. 16 from ¶¶Òõ̽̽App.
She plans to work at Northside Hospital's operating room in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She shared that her disability inspired her to keep at her health care dream.
The ¶¶Òõ̽̽App Nursing Department provides expert faculty, state-of-the-art simulation and hands-on clinical experience at an affordable price. With the highest NCLEX pass rate in the state of Georgia over the last four years, ¶¶Òõ̽̽App is one of the best values in nursing education in the region.
Dr. Heather Harris
Nursing Department head
"Epilepsy may not be visible, but I've had my health concerns. So, it's inspiring to be that groundbreaker," Coarsey said.
Her medical alert service dog, Jake, has been by her side since 2018. He quickly became a familiar face in the Gainesville Campus Health Sciences building, acting as an unofficial mascot for the December 2023 cohort. He attended every class, clinical and lab by her side.
Coarsey hopes to serve as motivation for others and credits ¶¶Òõ̽̽App with teaching her important lessons that she cherishes. Knowing before starting the program about the potential to be challenged, she learned the importance of finding the best fit college.
"¶¶Òõ̽̽App really desires to see you do well. Here there is no foolish question, and mistakes are opportunities for growth," Coarsey said. "At the start of the program, I feared that my diagnosis would complicate everything. But with the support of faculty, friends and family, I was able to persevere, and with the knowledge I have gained at ¶¶Òõ̽̽App, I'm ready to move on to new things."
In addition to its traditional four-year BSN, ¶¶Òõ̽̽App also offers an accelerated BSN track, which launches its second cohort this month. Students in the ABSN track, who enter ¶¶Òõ̽̽App with a bachelor's or master's degree in other subjects, can graduate in 15 months.
Education students publish book reviews
Five students in ¶¶Òõ̽̽App's College of Education were featured in the Georgia Association of Literacy Advocates FOCUS Newsletter for spring 2026.
Contest win sets up South Korea opportunity
Anna Shelley's win in the Southeastern U.S. Korean Speech Contest earned her a full-tuition scholarship and dormitory support to attend the Dankook University International Summer School.
Nanzan visit brings cultural exchange
¶¶Òõ̽̽App welcomed almost 20 students from Nanzan University for two weeks during the spring semester. This visit came after weeks of online meetings through a Collaborative Online International Learning partnership.
Grads prepare for nursing at all levels
¶¶Òõ̽̽App will graduate more than 200 students this May with nursing degrees ranging from bachelor's to doctoral, showing the university's massive impact at every stage of nurses' careers.