Grays Harbor College Nominates Bonny Johnson and Amanda Wells for All-USA Academic Team
Posted on: Mar, 22, 2023
Grays Harbor College nominated students Bonny Johnson and Amanda Wells for the 2022-23 All-USA Academic Team, a national recognition program sponsored by the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and college presidents. The announcement was made at Tuesday’s board meeting, where each student received a scholarship from GHC in addition to the award from Phi Theta Kappa.
The All-USA Academic Team honors outstanding students from a variety of backgrounds disciplines. Participating schools can nominate up to four students per campus, two who will transfer and two who will enter the workforce prior to fall 2023. Both Johnson and Wells are transfer students at GHC.
“On behalf of Grays Harbor College, I am excited to nominate Bonny Johnson and Amanda Wells for the All-USA Academic Team,” said vice president of student services at GHC, Dr. Cal Erwin-Svoboda. “They are both outstanding students who are committed to their education and making a difference. They are excellent representatives of GHC.”
Bonny Johnson is enrolled in GHC’s Medical Assistant Associate Degree program. On her application for the All-USA Academic Team, Johnson shared that her career goals include volunteering at health clinics in Uganda, serving her community as a Medical Assistant, and continuing her education. “I hope to be a great asset to the medical practice I work for,” said Johnson.
In reflecting on her time at GHC, Johnson said, “I have learned how valuable education is.” She added, “I am grateful to the people who said I can go to college and that I can apply for financial help. I would not be in college if it was not for the people who generously give to help other people go to college.”
GHC’s second nominee, Amanda Wells, is earning an associate degree in nursing, and plans to transfer to a four-year nursing program after graduation. “Upon finishing my associate degree in nursing at Grays Harbor, my immediate intent is to obtain a part time, or per diem nurse position at Shelton Hospital while finishing my education with a RN-to-BSN course at the Bremerton branch of Olympic Community College,” Wells stated in her application for the All-USA Academic Team. “This allows me to practice skills and techniques I have learned, while paying back the many kindnesses of the communities which have helped me reach my goal. My long-term goals are to become a wound care nurse, work in an Intensive care unit (ICU) or a Neonatal ICU.”
Johnson will graduate this June, and Wells will graduate in 2024. Both students look forward to careers that will allow them to help others. “I want to be able to help others be the best they can be,” said Johnson. “I want to continue to receive an education that can lead me into teaching others in the Medical Assistant field.”
In her application, Wells shared, “I'm good at helping people overcome trauma and showing them their strengths.” She added, “I love listening to their stories and finding ways to encourage them to move on and giving them the tools that they need to be successful. In college a teacher listened to me when I felt lost and afraid. My goal is to do that for as many people as I can.”
Phi Theta Kappa was established in 1918 and has expanded to almost 1,300 community college campuses in 11 countries. The American Association of Community Colleges recognized Phi Theta Kappa as the official honor society for two-year colleges in 1929. To learn more about the Phi Theta Kappa chapter at GHC, visit the Phi Theta Kappa page on GHC's website.