Jonathan Bautista
Helping others is something important to Jonathan Bautista. In fact, his major is all about helping others. The Metter, Georgia, native is a pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of North Georgia (UNG).
"I really enjoy helping people," Bautista said. "I genuinely like helping people out as much as I can. I'm very interpersonal."
Bautista, who is scheduled to graduate in December 2024 will be the first in his family with a career in health care, and he is the first in his family to be a part of UNG's Corps of Cadets.
He has been assistant chaplain, team leader, squad leader, platoon sergeant, and he is a first sergeant for Foxtrot Company as a junior. Another leadership role includes membership in Scabbard and Blade, a National Military Honor Society.
Bautista is also in the fraternity Sigma Nu, serving as the UNG chapter's historian and part of its recruitment committee.
"I live four hours away. I needed to find a brotherhood, like a family away from my real family, and they've definitely done that for me. They've been very helpful. They're very supportive of what I do inside and outside the corps, and my major," he said.
Bautista defines leadership as the ability to influence people.
"Influencing people by motivating them, giving them purpose and direction to accomplish the mission and improve the overall organization is how I'd define leadership," he said.
His style of leadership is relational.
"Just because I'm in a leadership position and just because I have a rank higher than them does not mean I am better than them as a person or as a cadet," Bautista said. "Making sure they know that I care about them is important."
People may be hesitant to assume leadership roles, but Bautista believes they should do it anyway.
"We're here in the corps to become a leader and one day an officer in the Army. You can make your mistakes as a leader here. If you mess up, it's not the end of the world. It's going to happen. It's better to make them here and learn from them and fine-tune them so you don't make them in the Army," Bautista said. "I encourage everyone to go for those leadership positions."
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Jacob Martin gained clinical experience for his Bachelor of Science in Nursing on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. He and several UNG nursing students helped administer vaccines. "Some of them gave a literal sigh of relief after getting the vaccine," Martin said.
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Paloma Galvan-Barron
As just a freshman, Paloma Galvan-Barron is already serving a leader in medical care and sharing how her REACH scholarship enables her to help others.