SALISBURY — It was an evening to celebrate as the 2024 Bridges to Healthcare Cohorts II students graduated during a ceremony Dec. 12 at the Wallace Education Forum.

The room was filled with many also standing waiting to see their graduate receive their certificate and cord and hear their name called.

Shemeda Conyers, specialist, Inclusion & Pipeline programs, served as the emcee for the ceremony noting it was a time to celebrate their family and friends. She asked everyone to stand and welcome the Bridges to Healthcare Cohort II 2024 as they marched into the room.

The 18 graduates and the schools they represent are: 

Carson High School — Lily Beaver, Shelby Miller and Doninique Paul

East Rowan High School — Kiley Looker

North Rowan High School — Khari Short and Gao’ZouaBlia Vang

Salisbury High School — A’Leah Childers, Kimora Geter, Farah Hassan, Nathalie Lezama, Edgar Aguirre, Rachel Fisher and Janiya Patterson (Winston-Salem State University)

South Rowan High School — Malachi Fry and Arianna Gissel

West Rowan — Kaylee Guerrero, Lexi Myers and Irene Seah

As the program got underway, Shemeka Shufford, manager of the Inclusion & Pipeline programs, shared an overview of the Bridges to Healthcare program telling that it was created as an “opportunity to change the community, to create opportunities for students, to close the skills and wealth gap and provide students with an opportunity to make informed decisions about their future.”

Two phases of the program are offered including Phase 1 which is for 11th and 12th grade students who are provided with experiences to help them learn what they may or may not want to do in the healthcare industry. 

Phase 2, Shufford said, supports students who want to continue into the community college. This is paid for and allows them the opportunity to pursue a healthcare pathway in the community college with hopes they will come back and continue their healthcare career at Novant Health.

The program, she continued, focuses on three areas — ensuring they are targeting underrepresented communities providing opportunities for every student; ensuring that students are provided with the exposure to healthcare, both the clinical and nonclinical aspects; and lastly, she said, to close that skills and wealth gap.

Multiple individuals shared comments congratulating the group with Greg Alcorn serving as the keynote speaker.

Prior to his coming to the podium, A’Leah Childers, one of the graduates, introduced him and said he “has been a shining example of leadership and community service.”

A Salisbury native, he graduated from Salisbury High School, earned his master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a doctorate from Hood Theological Seminary.  

Childers also said that Alcorn is president and CEO of Global Contact Services, and he and his wife Missie founded ApSeed Early Education, a nonprofit which has impacted more than 31,000 children by equipping underserved populations with touchpads and pre-K guidebooks preparing them for school. He has served on numerous boards in the community.

Alcorn told the group that the main thing he wanted to share with them was wrapped up in two words, “join everything.”

Talking to the graduates, he said he joined clubs, groups and nonprofits at their age, and while he didn’t realize it at the time, he knows now that “it gave me a framework for appreciating what was going on in the community and to be able to learn so many things that I could be able to apply to business and then have business apply to the community.”

Alcorn shared several things that were of value to him from his being involved and those were he could create relationships and it helped him with lifelong learning.

He shared a quote from Mary Ponds, the former mayor of Granite Quarry and teacher at South Rowan, which helped in expanding this point about being able to do many things that are important to you and that quote was “if your plate’s full, get a platter.”

As he drew his speech to a conclusion, Alcorn told the graduates that they have a lens on the future that those his age don’t have.

“You have the eyes and the ears of the future and you have the heart and soul of the future and I know that you might not feel that now but I guarantee you get involved and join things and be able to use what you’ve learned in this wonderful program out into the community, we will all be better for it,” said Alcorn.

Others participating in the ceremony included several of the graduates like Arianna Gissell, who gave a welcome to those attending and expressed thanks to Novant Health Rowan Medical Center and to Conyer.

She also shared how quickly the time had passed since they started and here they are now as alumni. 

“I am super excited to see what the future holds for us and all the great accomplishments we will make in the healthcare industry,” Gissell said. 

Graduate Khari Short came and thanked the hospital receptors for their time and dedication during the year, and while they were unable to be there, they did recognize them.

Conyer noted that they were managing the floors at the hospital but they did want to thank them “because this program wouldn’t be what it is without them.”

Closing remarks were made by graduate Kylie Looker, as she expressed thanks to the local hospital staff and the Novant Health Foundation for their investment.

Sharing what the program had meant to her, she said it pointed her in the healthcare path she truly wanted to take. At the beginning, Looker said she thought she wanted to be a surgeon but discovered through the program that she wanted to dedicate her time to being a pediatric nurse practitioner. 

She also grew in her communication skills and thanked the Bridges to Healthcare program for being able to “confidently stand up in front of you and speak about things I am so passionate about,” she said. “This opportunity has really changed my life forever and it’s something I will always cherish and be proud of” and wished her fellow cohort students success in their aspirations.

Additional speakers included Gary Blabon, president and COO of Novant Health Rowan Medical Center, who shared his support to the graduates and said to the crowd that “this is just a super proud moment for me as the hospital president” and said these students are offered jobs at Rowan Medical Center when they finish school, which brought lots of applause from everyone.

Stacey White, executive director of Career & Technical Education, Rowan-Salisbury Schools, provided some statistics telling that to date, the hospital has employed more than six of their high school graduates and provided training for 30 of their juniors and seniors.

“This partnership is an example of the dedication and collaboration between our school system and healthcare system to create a strong workforce development pipeline for Rowan County keeping our talent local,” White said.

She concluded with several acknowledgements including the career development coordinators for their support and partnership with Novant Health and to Conyer who facilitates this program.

Vincia Benjamin Miller, the philanthropy coordinator with the Rowan Medical Center Foundation, provided closing remarks, remembering these students when they first began the program in 2023.

She said they were anxious and nervous, but still eager to join the program. And today, she said, “seeing you now, standing tall and confident as the next generation of healthcare professionals fills me with pride.”

Benjamin took this opportunity to thank the donors who she said is investing not just in the students but in the future of healthcare to Rowan County.

Noting the success of the program, she said, “we are excited to see what else you will accomplish through your contribution. Thank you all for making this program a reality and for being a part of this transformative journey.” 

Named the Trendsetters, Conyer said this group of students had done a lot during the year, and said that she pushed them out of their comfort zone.

The students’ names were called and each went forward to receive their certificates, cords, have a photo taken and shake hands with the leadership team.

In Looker’s comments, she encouraged the students to “remain proud of yourselves for working hard. Cherish this moment and remember how special this opportunity was and that not many people get to experience what we got the chance to be a part of. When you face hard times and challenges, remember this program and how rewarding it felt at the end.”