Macon State College MVPs is a web feature that profiles notable students, alumni, faculty and staff.

High School: Windsor Academy, class of 2006. “I was a five-year varsity softball player and captain, member of the track team, senior homecoming queen, class officer, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) member, Beta Club member, and Math Team member. I was also voted ‘most versatile’ of the senior class.”

Family: Parents, Mark Spivey and Candy Swain Spivey; grandparents, Joe and Ann Swain and Joe and Jean Spivey; and my babies, a 15-year-old cocker spaniel named Honey and 12-year-old yellow lab, Bud.

Current Employment: Full-time student.

Degree Objective: Bachelor of science in nursing.

Class Rank: Junior.

Activities: Macon State Student Ambassadors; MSCANS; and a School of Nursing student representative of the curriculum and textbook committee.

Career Goals: “I have known since I was a little girl that I wanted to work in the health care field. It has always fascinated and amazed me. It wasn’t until my personality developed that I figured out that it would be as a nurse. Nursing is more than caring for the sick. Nursing is an accumulation of tasks performed by a caring, nurturing individual. I hope that I encompass all that is a nurse. My long-term goal is to become a nurse practitioner. Who knows, maybe I’ll be back at Macon State teaching nursing one day.”

She chose Macon State College because … “It’s a great educational establishment!! Everything I heard during high school was, ‘Go away for school, get out of the house, become independent.’ What everyone didn’t know was I could get all the independence I could ask for right at home, at Macon State. My mom and aunt went to Macon State (back in the day…ha ha) and they both told me that I could get an exceptional education and be prepared for the world if I went there. Boy, were they right! I know that my nursing professors are not only preparing our class to pass the N-CLEX (boards) but be successful clinical nurses.”

The one thing that surprised her about Macon State was … “The arrangement of wonderful professors all across the academic fields. I, being a nursing student, tend to like science. However, when I came to Macon State as a scared 18 year old, the professors in my undergraduate classes made every subject interesting and fun. I soon learned to lighten up and was no longer scared of college professors!!”

Her favorite professor is … “Wow! Where do I begin? Undergraduate professors that had a big influence on my college experience were Dr. Patrick Brennan, Dr. Kevin Cantwell, Dr. Carol Melton, and Ryan Wilson. None of whom taught science classes!! These professors made English, history, and literature - subjects that I had previously HATED!!! – fun. Then, when I entered nursing school, I was introduced to a new class of professors. I have yet to have a professor that has not been significant to my learning experience. They all bring something different to the table and learning from them is an experience in itself!!!”

Her favorite place to study is … “At home, on the bed, with my snuggie. My friends that come over to the house know when I have a test coming up because I have books and notes everywhere! I don’t feel like I’m studying correctly unless the floor and bedding is completely covered! It’s a stress reliever to clean up after a test. Cleaning the room and the mind!!”

One thing people don’t know about her is … “I go on medical mission trips to Haiti every summer. Starting a few years ago, I embarked on a journey that changed my life forever. Naïve, I thought I would go to Haiti and help the people, but in reality, they helped me. The Haitian people have a love for God and life that is unmatched by anyone else; it’s extremely admirable. I go and work in a clinic. We treat patients with anything from a simple stomach ache to brain tumors. The tenacity of these people will bring them out of the devastation they’re experiencing now… I know it!!”

Her friends make fun of her because … “I need a schedule for everything. Chalk it up to being type A or a control freak, I just need to know when, where, what, and who before I participate in anything. Let’s just say I’m not very spontaneous!!”

The one person she’d most like to meet is … "My brother, Matthew. He would be 25 now and I never got the opportunity to meet him. I know he would’ve been an excellent brother and an even better person.”

Five years from now she sees herself … “Finishing up my master’s degree in nursing, buying my first home, starting a family, and traveling for mission trips and leisure. ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ - Romans 12:2.”