Nursing grad credits JC with helping her on path to dream, while breaking out of her shell
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Tina Covic is an aspiring nurse. The Haslett native completed her first step towards reaching that goal by getting her Associate of Applied Science – Nursing degree.
But you would have to go back to when she was a child when she wanted to start her journey in the medical field.
“When I was 3 years old, I had pneumonia and my mom said I had to have a big shot injected in me,” she said. “The nurses made me feel super comfortable and I didn’t cry or anything. I want to make people feel the same way.”
Nursing Program
The nursing program was difficult at first according to Tina, but all of the instructors were by her side helping her to succeed.
“All the teachers were super supportive and if you had questions they were there to help anytime,” she said. “Erin Mazur really pushed me to try my best and keep going. Don’t quit. Julie Ballow was there for a lot of emotional support and Laura Thomas was available for questions literally all the time. You could text her at midnight and she would answer. It’s really nice to have teachers always there for you.”
Jackson College Experience
During her time here she also played soccer under Coach Andy Hosmer as an outside back. It felt like being part of a family to her.
“It was great. It was like creating my own little family and the ones away from home so they made me feel super comfortable.,” Covic said. “Coach Hosmer said I was like a daughter to him after how close we’ve become, because I helped coach Columbia High School Soccer as well where he coaches just be involved a little more, help out and volunteer. It was great.”
Tina credits Jackson College to helping her step out of her comfort zone and grow.
“They really made me come out of my shell because in high school I was the super shy girl that didn’t like to talk when talking in front of people and here I was able to do interviews and I was able to the Grand Valley State University nursing program speech which I would never have been able to do in high school,” she said.
The future
Memorable experiences from Jackson College will stay with her for the rest of her life.
“I’m going to miss the environment and all my friends that I made here,” Covic said. “All my teammates that have supported me throughout my journey it will be hard not seeing them every day.”
Tina graduated in December after three years at Jackson College, but the story is far from over. Her ultimate career goal is to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. She is looking for an online bachelor program preferably at Michigan State University or Capella University.
“You never know what could happen. We can make lifelong friends. You can continue on your journey and succeed,” she said.