A Heart for Service, a Spirit for Sport: nursing graduate soars at Georgia Southern
As a flyer on the Georgia Southern University cheerleading team, Mallory Barrett relished the physical stunts and the adrenaline rush. Yet her true calling required a heart for service.
“When I thought about professions growing up, I always wanted to do something that involved helping others,” said the new graduate from the Waters College of Health Professions. “It’s always been a part of me. I always put other people first. I’m always there to lend a helping hand. And I just knew nursing was probably the best route for me. I wanted to be hands-on with people, communicate, and be that light for them.”
Barrett grew up in a family of five in snowy New Hampshire, more than a thousand miles from Georgia, in the heart of the South. While researching colleges online, she sought one with a top-tier cheer program and a rigorous nursing program.
“I really did a deep dive, and something about Georgia Southern caught my eye,” she said. “I checked out their cheer team, and they were back-to-back national champions. When I visited Georgia Southern, the minute I stepped on campus, I knew immediately that this was home. This is where I’m going to be.”
During her four years at Georgia Southern, the Granite State native cheered at all home football, basketball, and volleyball games, as well as at numerous away games. She lived in Statesboro but traveled to Armstrong Campus in Savannah for her last two years of classes. The intensity of cheerleading and nursing studies required focus and dedication.
“To balance all my obligations, make time for myself and maintain a social life, I really had to lean into my time-management skills,” said the self-admitted procrastinator. “I created a Google Calendar listing all my scheduled classes, practices and events I had to attend. I marked when I needed to study and made sure any free time I had left was spent with my friends and loved ones. Balancing all of this was very difficult and one of the hardest things I experienced in college, but I am better for it, as I’m walking away more skilled and organized than when I first started college at Georgia Southern.”
Students in the University’s nursing program complete 800 clinical hours across different hospital units and outpatient services. This hands-on experience allows students to explore different areas of nursing to determine their next steps after graduation.
“I did one of my clinical rotations in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) and knew immediately this was the path I wanted to take,” Barrett revealed. “The NICU is a very hard unit to get into, and as a new graduate, I am grateful for the opportunity to pursue that.”
Once Barrett takes and passes the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) to become a registered nurse, she plans to work in the NICU at Candler Hospital in Savannah, Georgia, before returning to school for a master’s in her chosen profession.
Barrett’s day-to-day transition from clinicals to the cheerleading mat required not only discipline but also trust in her Georgia Southern All-Girl cheer team members.
“As a flyer, I’m thrown in the air and must trust the people throwing me will catch me on my way down,” she explained. “Trust doesn’t come naturally, and not every sports team can create a level of trust that wins them a national championship.”
In acknowledging the team’s strong bond, Barrett said, “Every day I walked into the practice room, looked around, and knew everyone was here to work, do their best, and have a ton of fun. Nothing feels better than the relationships you create with your teammates, and you could see that on the mat with our cheer team. That was proven when we walked off that mat with a national championship trophy in hand. That’s the best feeling in the world: winning with your best friends who have become family forever.”
With her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in hand, the alumna said that moving from New Hampshire to attend Georgia Southern was one of the best decisions she has ever made.
“Honestly, I’m surprised I was as successful as I was,” Barrett said. “In the past two years, I have had a ton of injuries: numerous concussions, a broken nose and surgery for an ankle injury. Through it all, the agony, the pain, the hard times, the long nights of studying, the classes, and the clinicals, I kept a positive attitude and never gave up.”
For now, Barrett is leaving her alma mater with great grades, a national championship title and newly developed organizational skills.
“I’m going to miss the entire college experience,” she said. “Being able to live so close to my best friends, attend so many fun events, go through hard-fought practices with my teammates and experience athletic events up close as an athlete. Georgia Southern hasn’t seen the last of me. I’m grateful for all the University has done for me, and I cannot wait to see what else it has in store for me.”