Student Highlights
Life-Changing, Life-Saving Education
The College of Nursing is a place where students can flourish and explore a variety of experiences and opportunities. Whether they are interested in research, leadership, or community engagement, our faculty and staff are ready to support them in their endeavors. We recognize that our students are the future of the nursing profession, and the future looks bright! Check back often to see what our students are up to. Follow our social media channels to see all of our student spotlights and accomplishments!
Choosing AU means joining a cohort of academically gifted and dedicated colleagues.
Students & Alumni in the Media
Tracey Couse, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Nursing PhD student aims to advance stroke-related research, care
Dr. Tyra Newton (Alum)
Commitment to improving lives drives nursing grad to Quadruple Jag status
Dr. Ashley Perkins (Alum)
Nurse executive graduate brings life to hospice care
Erin Wiley
Triple Jag embraces second career as a nurse anesthetist
Azalea and Frazier Lagora (Alumni)
Siblings overcome all obstacles to graduate nursing school together
Julianna McGahee
Students shine during Undergraduate Research and Fine Arts Conference
Dr. Katelyn Little (Alum)
Katelyn Little, DNP recently announced as Georgia Nurses Association President-Elect and American Nurses Association national delegate at large
Alyssa Pearson (Alum)
»Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ crowns Mr. and Miss AU
Natalie Horseman (Alum)
Where are they now? Nursing alumna sparks imagination with children's books
Dr. Shena Gazaway (Alum)
College of Nursing alumni board president aims to increase alumni activity
Student Highlights
Olivia Gardner
- Master of Science in Nursing - CNL
Class of 2026
Olivia, a senior CNL student, did an incredible job at her practicum at Piedmont! The manager on the pediatric unit commended her for her great work, saying "she will be a wonderful nurse and a blessing to those wherever she lands. She is definitely something special!" This dedication is why one of Olivia’s patients nominated her for a Daisy Award.
Amy Malcom, DNP, FNP
- Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing
Final Year Student
Dr. Amy Malcom is a PhD student and her major adviser is Dr. Cynthia Chernecky. In January of 2024, she was selected to be part of the 2024 »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ Nursing Student Academy Digital Innovators Program. During this journey, she innovated by collaborating and creating content for the teaching and learning space. She is currently an assistant professor of nursing at Georgia College & State University.
Adrian Ware & Amanda Farzad
- Doctor of Nursing Practice, Family Nurse Practitioner
Class of 2027
DNP students Adriane Ware and Amanda Farzad will be working on the first international DNP project! The project stems from the students' participation in the Scotland Study Abroad trip during the summer of 2025. One of the clinics they visited in Scotland will be participating in their project, "Trauma Informed Care: A Theory to Practice Initiative."
"Working with rural and underserved populations in Georgia has been deeply meaningful to me, and I’m thrilled by the opportunity to build on that passion at the systems level in Scotland through the DNP program and project." - Adriane Ware
"Turas is the Gaelic word for journey, trip, or pilgrimage. My time at Augusta and traveling to Scotland last summer with our study abroad has been the greatest journey of my life. I am so grateful to have my DNP project in Scotland and to continue this turas into becoming a nurse practitioner." - Amanda Farzad
Debra Dewitt
- Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing
Final Year Student
Debra Dewitt is a PhD student and her major adviser is Dr. Desiree Bertrand. She is the 2024 scholarship recipient of the Stelling Leadership Award. In 2025, her abstract, A Mobile Health Application for Breast Health Among African American Women, was accepted for the Southern Nursing Research Society Annual Conference.