GNTC student overcomes hardship to earn associate degree
Despite facing painful personal losses, Samantha “Sam” Ekey has earned her associate degree in Adult Echocardiography at Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC).
Ekey, who overcame a traumatic brain injury sustained in high school, will cross the stage at GNTC’s 2024 Fall Commencement Ceremony at the Dalton Convention Center on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. She lives in Floyd County and attends classes at GNTC’s Floyd County Campus in Rome.
“The last six months have been unexplainably painful and emotionally distressing,” she said. “I am so thankful for the wonderful people I have met through this program. I met my best friends, and they were always checking on me and are always so supportive.”
This year Ekey has faced some excruciating experiences. Her grandmother had a stroke and was admitted to Atrium Health Floyd. Her father passed away at age 49 earlier this semester, she said.
Less than a month later, her grandfather was run over by a vehicle in a grocery store parking lot in Rome; he was transferred to a hospital in Chattanooga where he underwent multiple surgeries and an amputation but survived and is recovering.
Ekey said she stayed in class after her father’s death because he would have wanted her to finish her degree.
“I was so close to the finish line, and I knew my dad would not have wanted me to quit or sulk,” she said, adding that her younger sister endured the same losses and deserved more years with their father.
“Neither one of us will have our father at our wedding to walk us down the aisle, but I will always be there for her,” Ekey said. “We are going to cope in a healthy way: crying when needed, being angry when needed, feeling sad, feeling happy and all while living a life full of grief we never imagined.”
Ekey began her clinicals at Atrium Health Floyd in June. She completed her graduation requirements the day before Thanksgiving and had to make up some clinical time she missed upon her father’s death, she said.
“Sam has shown great tenacity in the final semester of the program,” said Trevor Roberts, clinical coordinator of Ultrasound programs and instructor of Adult Echocardiography at GNTC. “With the loss of her father, the serious injury to her grandfather and her grandmother suffering from a stroke, Sam did miss some classes. However, Sam has shown determination and grit. She dug her heels in deep and fought to complete the program.”
Ekey said she was impressed that her young cousin who has tetralogy of Fallot has lived her life as if she never had a congenital heart defect because the condition was diagnosed with Echocardiography,” Ekey explained. Tetralogy of Fallot changes blood flow through the heart and to the rest of the body; patients with this rare condition need surgery to repair the heart.
“I first wanted to be a physical therapist, then an occupational therapist and then a speech therapist before I landed on Echocardiography,” Ekey said. “I think I definitely made the right call (to go into Echocardiography).”
Echocardiography uses ultrasound to create an image of the heart that doctors can use to diagnose and manage heart conditions.
She chose GNTC’s Echocardiography program because she had taken Dual Enrollment classes through GNTC and knew it would be an affordable option for her, she said. She feels the program has prepared her well for her career.
“We do a lot of hands-on learning in the lab,” Ekey said. “We performed an echocardiogram and then wrote a report that was graded to prepare us for all parts of the profession.”
“At clinicals, we perform echocardiograms while also providing patient care,” Ekey said. “I love interacting with our elderly patients and our youngest patients, the babies.”
Ekey has already completed a certificate in Health Care Science at GNTC.
Her short-term goal is to earn her credentials as a Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer (RDCS), she said. Her long-term goals are to have a family, live on their farm and continue to perform echocardiograms and care for her grandparents and mother in their old age.
“Sam has worked hard from the very beginning of the program,” Roberts said. “Her perseverance and consistency caught my attention early in the program.”
Roberts characterized Ekey as relatable, personable and humorous.
“Sam will talk to anyone who will participate in conversation, and this will make her an excellent healthcare hero,” Roberts said. “Many times, patients just need to talk to someone to feel better. Sam is the kind of person who can make a quick-witted comment and put someone on the floor with laughter.”
Ally Alred, an RDCS at Atrium Health Floyd, described Ekey as dedicated, personable and resilient. Alred said Ekey is also an independent thinker who performs tasks well without much instruction and is always meeting goals she sets for herself.
“Samantha’s resiliency shows in her ability to work professionally and respectfully even though she has faced multiple adversities in her time here with us,” Alred said. “She is dedicated to improving her skills and takes every opportunity to grow her knowledge in this field.”
Alred said Ekey is detail-oriented, open to constructive criticism and takes initiative—all of which are important qualities in producing quality diagnostic imaging for both physicians and patients. Ekey’s preceptors have been impressed with her progress during her time with at Atrium Health Floyd.
“Our team at Atrium Health Floyd all feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to mentor Samantha,” Alred said. “We appreciate her willingness to learn and her openness to new ideas. I speak for the entire Echocardiogram lab when I say that Samantha will succeed wherever she goes in life and in this field.”
Roberts echoes the opinion that Ekey’s disposition and work ethic will carry forward to her career.
“Her future co-workers will experience a team player, and her patients will experience a skilled cardiac sonographer who truly cares about the well-being of the patients she treats,” Roberts said.
GNTC is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate degrees. A unit of the Technical College System of Georgia, GNTC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed or religion, military status, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, or disability. Equity Coordinator, Title VI, Title IX, Section 504 and ADA Coordinator: Brittany Riddle.
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