Finding Greatness: Katie Starcher

Author: News Bureau
Posted: Monday, May 10, 2021 12:00 AM
Categories: Faculty/Staff | School of Health and Natural Sciences | Pressroom | Students | Finding Greatness

Macon, GA

Nursing major Katie Starcher is president of MGA’s Association of Nursing Students. She is about to start a job as a student nurse at Regency Hospital Center.

Full Name: Katie Starcher.

Age: 21.

Hometown: Augusta.

Residence: Macon.

High School: “I went to Greenbrier High School in Evans, (outside of Augusta). I was in the advanced mixed chorus for all four years and president of the Tri-M music honors society in my senior year. I was also in the National Honors Society and Beta Club. Outside of school, I was super involved in my church and volunteered there at every opportunity. I also performed with a company called Musical Theatre Workshop for 10 years of my life.”

Family: Fiancé (soon-to-be husband on May 22), Tucker Poupard; mom, Vicki Starcher; dad, Ron Starcher; brothers, Luke Starcher, Shane Starcher, Michael Williams.

Employment: “I am starting a job as a student nurse tech at Regency Hospital Center on June 1^.”

Degree Objective: Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Class Rank: Junior.

Primary Campus: Macon.

Activities: President of the Middle Georgia State Association of Nursing Students; MGA President of Wesley of Macon.

Career Goals: “I have always had a passion of helping others. I would like to be a nurse because I want to be able to help people during the toughest times of their lives. I specifically would like to work in a children’s hospital. When you treat children, you have to be there for their whole family. Therefore, I would not only be helping patients, but also so many others during what is also the hardest and scariest times. I would also eventually love to become a nursing instructor. I love teaching and I would love the opportunity to help people help people.”

She chose Middle Georgia State University because … “I started my college career at Mercer University - that is how I wound up in Macon from Augusta. When I started at Mercer, I was pre-med and majoring in global health and Spanish. During the beginning of my sophomore year, I had the realization that I wanted to become a nurse, not a doctor. This was a big change as far as academic requirements. My fiancé had graduated from MGA, so I had heard about it and heard that it had a nursing program. Upon further research, I found that the nursing program was great and came highly recommended. I also realized that if I transferred to MGA, I would be able to stay on track and finish my degree in four years like I had planned, and at an affordable price.”

The greatest thing she discovered about Middle Georgia State was … “The professors, specifically in the nursing department, are so awesome! They truly want you to succeed and want you to become a good nurse. The tests are difficult, but rightfully so. The teachers truly prepare us for the NCLEX (test to earn your nursing license) as well as beginning a career in nursing. They also encourage us to be involved. The Middle Georgia State Association of Nursing Students is a club sponsored by our professors that encourages students to meet other nursing students and volunteer in the Middle Georgia community. We have several volunteer opportunities each month that we can be a part of.

“The professors also care for our learning experience. If we fail a test they always offer remediation where we go over what we struggled with and what we can do to improve our results on the next exam. Professors also lead classes in a fair way. They constantly ask for feedback to find out how to teach us in the most helpful way, and they go over every test we have question by question to make sure all of the questions made sense and the answers were correct. If we ever have any questions, we can always reach out, and they encourage us to do so. Overall, it is clear that MGA instructors have a passion for what they are teaching and care deeply about the students they influence.”

Her greatest academic experience as a Middle Georgia State student has been … “Truly seeing the improvement in the way I think. When we begin nursing school, our professors stress the importance of critical thinking and judgement. When I started out, I thought I was great at those things and would not need any help in that area. Now, however, when I take my exams and experience situations in clinical, I can tell that there is a huge difference from where I started and where I am now.

“I am more observant, more knowledgeable, and can use critical thinking more than ever before because of my classes at MGA. This is due to how our professors challenge us and push us to be the best we can be in every situation. I know that as I continue in my last year of nursing school, I will continue growing in these things and become a better version of myself and a better nurse to the patients I interact with.”

To her, “greatness” means … “Learning how to be your best self so you can help others be their best selves. The most important thing we can do as humans is help other people. In order to do this we must evaluate what makes us who we are - what makes us stronger and what holds us back. When we figure out what these things are, we can truly help others. Nobody can be great by themselves. Nobody can do great things by themselves. Everybody will need help in their lives, and most people will need it often. To do great things, we must lend a helping hand to those who are on their journey to do great things themselves. This can be as big as adopting a child whose parents passed away unexpectedly, or it can be as small as smiling at someone or saying an encouraging word to someone who is having a bad day. Every time we help out our neighbor, we are pushing ourselves to a place of greatness.”

In five years … “I will, of course, be married. Hopefully, I will be a practicing nurse in a children’s hospital bringing smiles to my patients and their families. I may be pursuing a master’s degree in nursing because I really do love learning. Above all, I hope to be helping people and pursuing greatness. (Fingers crossed I will also have a cute little cat to cuddle as well)!”