Category: Student Stories

When COVID Kept Family Away, Brett Loftis Brought Sports Home

Brett Loftis

Six words have made Brett Loftis ’22 a Piedmont University sensation: “Where else would you rather be?” For families who want to watch their student-athletes perform in person, the answer is nowhere else but on campus, but COVID changed the game in 2020. During the pandemic seasons, when Piedmont parents had to watch from a…

For Piedmont Actuarial Science Student, Her Major Is ‘A Path to a Great Life’

As an actuarial science major, Jade Edwards is frequently asked this question: What is actuarial science? In response, Edwards explains that an actuary uses mathematics and statistics to assess risk in industries such as insurance and finance, but for her personally, the field is much more than this layman’s definition. “For me, actuarial science is…

She’s 63 and has just been diagnosed with a learning disability. That’s not stopping Piedmont student Carmen Schuerman.

For 63 years, Carmen Schuerman struggled with mathematics. She failed the second grade. She needed fingers and toes to work problems others could solve with paper and pencil. When the math became too advanced, she had to draw dots contained in circles to help her “see” the sums and quotients. At one of her first…

Piedmont Athens Student Pursuing Two Degrees Tells Other Women: “You Can Do It Too”

Piedmont Athens student Eliana Heckman

Eliana Heckman wants other women to believe in themselves and their ability to achieve their goals. That’s why she’s pursuing two degrees at Piedmont University’s Athens campus and dedicating her career to higher education administration, a field that will allow her to open doors for future generations of women. “I want to use my degrees…

Piedmont University Gathers More than 1,000 Books to Donate to Georgia’s Prison Classrooms

Piedmont University students, faculty, and staff have collected nearly 1,000 books for X Books and Common Good Atlanta. The books will be used in prison classrooms across the state of Georgia. “It’s been inspiring to see people from across campus come together for this effort,” said Dr. Matthew Teutsch, director of Piedmont University’s Lillian E….

Piedmont Athens Nursing Student Plans Career Dedicated to Helping Others Feel Safe, Supported

A few years ago, Piedmont Athens student Trent Parks had a surgery, became ill, and missed several weeks of school. He fully recovered, but his ordeal forever changed the course of his life. Now, Parks is studying nursing at Piedmont University’s Athens campus. “Because of the nurses who helped me, I knew there was always…

Piedmont Athens Student Finds Her Way: ‘I’m Going to Be a Nurse … to Help People’

Some college students enroll knowing their major, their future career, exactly what they will do after graduation. Others need a little more time to make those big decisions. Such was the case for Katy Ogle, who transferred to Piedmont University’s Athens campus in August, and soon realized what she wants to do in life. “I’m…

Piedmont Will Celebrate First-Generation Students on Nov. 8

first-gen

On Monday, Nov. 8, Piedmont University will celebrate first-generation students, faculty, staff, and alumni. To be First-Gen means a student’s parents did not complete a four-year college degree. The 2021 First-Gen Student Celebration will be held 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. upstairs in the Commons Conference Room in Demorest and in Room 312 on the Athens campus….

For Educator Hensley, Piedmont Visits with Students are ‘Like Coming Home’

Britt Hensley ’12 in Piedmont’s production of “The Taming of the Shrew” in 2014.

Britt Hensley ’12 fell in love with the Piedmont University campus in Demorest. Then she fell for the family feeling in the theatre department. “There are kinships that you’re able to have with the people in your department and your professors. They know your face and know your name. You’re not just a number like…