Of all the reasons residents choose Alabama’s community colleges, Thomas Hartline picked two that are common and made sense for him: proximity and affordability.
In that decision, he found the true career path to enhance his life.
Thomas, who graduates from Northeast Alabama Community College, shared his story of why he chose NACC and the success he has had since doing so during the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees Board Meeting on Wednesday, March 11.
A foster child who was adopted at the age of 3, Thomas grew up to attend Dekalb County Technical School in High School, where he received a certification to become a certified nursing assistant. From there, Thomas attended Plainview High School and earned 34 hours in dual enrollment after a visit from a NACC recruiting team. He was accepted into and began the Nursing program at NACC immediately after graduation high school.
He graduates college in May.
“My extended family and friends are composed of various healthcare providers ranging from Nurses to EMT’s to MD’s. I’ve been exposed to the medical field all of my life as well as taking care of people with medical issues. …This sparked my passion for nursing.”
-Thomas Hartline, NACC student
Thomas is the Northeast Student Nursing Association (NSNA) President and a current work study at the NACC Technology Learning Center (TLC Lab). He volunteers across campus at the NACC Experience, the CEO Expo and the Made in DeKalb Expo. His career plan is to become a Family Nurse Practitioner.