KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 29, 2025

Every nursing student’s journey begins with a story.

For Kennesaw State University student Serene Boudiab, it traces back to the stroke her father suffered during her sophomore year of high school. During her many visits to the hospital, she felt deeply inspired by the nurses who shepherded his rehabilitation.

Boudiab’s classmate Abby Evans has a slightly different story. Hers began with an appendectomy as a teenager and memories of the incredible group of nurses who brought her back to health.

Caleb Cruz, on the other hand, recalled feeling safe and comforted by nurses when in an accident.

Stories such as these fuel the passion nurses have for their profession, which Boudiab said sets nurses apart from the rest of the professional world.

“It takes a truly unique person to have that compassion for other people, and I think that is really what makes us different from others,” Boudiab said. “I see it in every person in this cohort. You can see it comes from our hearts, and I hope the other people feel the same way.”

Though they took different paths toward Kennesaw State’s nursing program, Boudiab, Cruz, and Evans share a common thread in that all are members of the inaugural cohort of the Wellstar-Tom and Betty Phillips Elite Honors Nursing Scholars. Established in 2021, the program aims to produce top-notch nurses who benefit from a strong emphasis on academic scholarship. Each scholar belongs to the KSU Journey Honors College and participates in nursing-focused research projects in addition to rigorous curriculum in the Wellstar School of Nursing.

Molding elite healthcare practitioners

The scholars program was made possible by seven-figure gifts from Wellstar Health System, Tom and Betty Phillips, and the John and Rosemary Brown matching incentive, all of which support up to 100 students a year. The program offers early admission to the Wellstar School of Nursing, provides opportunities beyond the clinical setting, and puts students through their paces in classroom and in professional practice. The matching funds came from a $10 million gift made by the Browns in 2020 benefitting the KSU Journey Honors College.

“We know that these students are going to be the cream of the crop,” said Amy Roach, assistant professor of nursing and faculty advisor to the initial cohort. “Few 18-year-olds know what they’ll want to do when they graduate, but these 13 students have stuck with it through the hardships, and they're really invested. We have no doubt they are going to become leaders when they graduate.”

The academically challenging program is a joint venture between KSU’s Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, Wellstar Health System, the KSU Foundation, and emeritus member of the Wellstar Board of Trustees Tom Phillips, the latter serving as partial inspiration for the program’s name.

“To have the opportunity to be a part of an elite honors nursing scholarship program at KSU has been a rewarding experience in my life,” Phillips said.

Forging bonds that last a lifetime

Wellstar College Dean Monica Swahn said it’s hard to tell who will benefit more from the Elite Honors Nursing Scholars program — the 13 soon-to-be graduates who earned a rigorous education and forged timeless bonds with their classmates, or the medical community that will benefit from their work ethic, knowledge, and passion for service. She credited the initial cohort with answering the challenge with aplomb.

“This group of students came to KSU in difficult times and showed amazing resilience from their first day to now,” Swahn said. “They’ve persevered through a rigorous academic program, comprehensive professional experiences and intensive research projects, and they’ve done it all with great passion.”

The cohort of nursing students entered KSU in August 2021, still under pandemic restrictions and dividing their time between remote and in-person classes. Despite the challenges, a strong social bond forged between the students, many of whom have become friends for life, Evans said.

“Over the years we've spent so much time with each other, so we're definitely a unified group,” she said. “We've been through a lot together. We’ve bonded over activities and dinners, and we've gotten to know each other well. I’m happy to say these are my friends.”

Impacting the workforce

Before walking in May’s commencement ceremonies, the cohort’s final assignment will be to complete their capstone project, which Roach said separates this cohort from their peers. Boudiab and Evans are pursuing a project on the effectiveness of meditation as a stress relief technique among nursing students, while Cruz and his co-researchers are studying the mitigation of burnout among sexual assault trauma nurses.

“Participating in research will give us a leg up, whether that is in applying for residencies this fall or applying for an advanced practice degree program,” Cruz said. “There is high demand for nurses, but these projects will be very beneficial in helping us land jobs in areas in which we’d like to specialize.”

While students benefit from a more rigorous academic program, so, too, have the faculty and staff.

“The faculty and staff that are part of the program are exemplary,” Roach said. “They put their heart and soul into this. We put way more into the program than what has been asked of us because we know these students are going to be top notch.”

After graduating, the cohort will have a final batch of clinicals in the summer involving a dozen 12-hour shifts in a clinical setting. Having enjoyed her rotation in acute cardiac care, Boudiab has set her sights on being a cardiac nurse after completing the program. Evans expects to practice in acute care in a hospital for a few years before becoming a travel nurse, and Cruz will continue his current rotation in a neonatal intensive care unit.

“It’s truly been an honor to take part in this program,” Cruz said. “Everybody we’ve come in contact with — our professors, our peers, our fellow professionals in the clinicals — has been amazing. I appreciate our donors for making this program possible. We’ve got a great future ahead of us because of it.”

This article also appears in the current issue of Summit Magazine.

– Story by Dave Shelles

Photos by Matt Yung

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.