During high school, Cornelia Seybold (Class of 2020) earned an associate’s degree in pre-nursing as a dual enrollment student at Georgia Military College (GMC). She was accepted to Wesleyan through the Guaranteed Admission Program (GAP) for high school students interested in studying nursing and will begin working toward her BSN this fall. Cornelia learned about Wesleyan from a GMC professor whose daughter, Gabby Garcia ’18, was attending Wesleyan. Cornelia visited campus during a nursing open house. When she met the nursing faculty and learned about the hands-on learning and intimate classroom environment, she knew she had found her perfect fit. “A women’s college isn’t just about being all women. It’s about all being together as women. I don’t feel any negative pressure, just constant reassurance. I love the sisterhood at Wesleyan. Since day one, I have felt a part of a community.”

Cornelia grew up listening to her father tell stories about serving in the Air Force’s search and rescue division, which provides aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. His stories sparked Cornelia’s interest in the fields of trauma and emergency nursing. After a tour of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) last year she is also considering conducting bioterrorism research. Her plans include continuing her education to earn her master’s degree in public health and a Ph.D. Her goal is to establish programs that improve healthcare in remote areas. 

In preparation for her career, Cornelia has enjoyed summer internships at Boothbay Regional Health Center in Maine. The center’s purpose is to create a comprehensive primary healthcare system operating under community governance. At the clinic, Cornelia has developed a donor database, worked to establish relationships between board members and patients, and planned programs to better the community by offering accessible healthcare.