BENTONVILLE, Ark. — She turned 20 a month ago. Today, Leighanne Jones graduated college with a Registered Nurse (RN) degree, making her the youngest in her graduating class at NorthWest Arkansas Community College (NWACC).
"I was always drawn towards a career in the healthcare field," she said.
She never thought about doing anything else as a career. Jones says her direction came from attending the Bentonville Schools Ignite Professional Studies Program.
"I was able to graduate my senior year with seven different medical certifications," she said. "I also was able to do two different internships. All of those kind of drew me to nursing in particular."
She is the first in her family to go to college, which she says makes this special.
"Not only being a first-generation college student but being able to experience this so young, everybody's super proud of me," Jones said.
As far as being the youngest in her class, Jones says she has gotten a lot of support from her classmates.
"A lot of times I kind of forget that I am the youngest in the class. I just feel like I'm just like them," she said. "Everybody's been super supportive."
Jones says she's glad this part of her journey is over.
"You've been thinking about this moment for going on for years now and so to see all your hard work pay off was very gratifying," she said.
Jones says she will start work at Mercy Hospital in Rogers in the Intensive Care Unit while working to get her bachelor's degree.
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