Macon State College MVPs is a web feature that profiles notable students, alumni, faculty and staff.
Full Name: Lori Ann Seymour.
Age: “Old.” :-)
Hometown: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Residence: Macon.
High School: Salem Academy.
Family: Husband, Frank Seymour; and children, Nicole Seymour, 11, and C.J. Seymour, 7.
Current Employment: “I’ve been involved in direct sales for 9 years with Tastefully Simple. I still do this occasionally to remain active but these days I pretty much concentrate on school.”
Degree Objective: Bachelor of science in nursing.
Class Rank: Junior.
Career Goals: “I’ve thought about being a nurse for the past 10 years. I’ve always been interested in health and fitness and have had friends over the years who were nurses. I’ve often thought to myself. ‘I wish I had done that.’ When sharing this with a friend she encouraged me to come to Macon State and find out what it would take to become a Registered Nurse, so here I am! I believe that I can make a difference to someone in a medical crisis. To me there is nothing more visceral than to take care of people when they most need it. Nurses can positively impact someone who is at his or her weakest, darkest moment. I want to be that positive force.”
She chose Macon State College because … “I live in Macon and have my family here.”
The one thing that surprised her about Macon State was … “I have an undergraduate degree from N.C. State and a graduate degree from the University of South Carolina, both major state universities with excellent academic reputations. I have to admit, I came to Macon State with low expectations – with the thought that this was a small, hokey college. I was very wrong. I have been so pleasantly surprised by the quality of education and low class sizes offered for the low tuition price (compared to national averages). The professors I’ve met here care and are here because they want to teach, not because they have to teach in order to continue their personal research, get grants, etc., that you see in large universities. Even when you take an introductory course at Macon State, you are getting PhDs teaching you. In most larger universities you only get graduate students until you get to the senior year courses. I’ve been most impressed with the faculty, particularly my anatomy and physiology professor, Dr. Jeffrey Williams, and the entire nursing faculty.”
Her favorite professor is … “Dr. Jeffery Williams, who teaches anatomy and physiology. He taught us not only what we should know to get through the class, but also made sure we learned what we needed for nursing school with all the drawings he makes you do!”
Her favorite place to study is … “Anywhere quiet! I wind up in the Macon State library a lot, upstairs, in a study room.”
One thing people don’t know about her is … “I was a college athlete at N.C. State – go Wolfpack! I played volleyball on scholarship. I have won money and trips playing volleyball on the beach. I played in South Carolina and Florida mostly, but I also played in a tournament with the now defunct Women’s Professional Beach Volleyball league in California.”
Her friends make fun of her because … “I can be oblivious.”
The one person she’d most like to meet is … “There isn’t anyone I’d like to meet, but I would like to get reacquainted with my husband. We’re both so busy we don’t get to spend much leisure time together.”
Five years from now she sees herself … “Working as a medical surgical nurse in a hospital in Macon.”