On Dec. 15, 2023, Miguel Gallaga-Guijon became the first in his family to graduate from college.
“There are no words that I can put together because I am the first to get here,” said Gallaga-Guijon, who earned his bachelor’s in nursing from Brenau. “It feels great to be able to set the expectations and the tone for my children down the line.”
Gallaga-Guijon, who lives in Gainesville, said he felt inspired to pursue a nursing career after seeing a need for better access to health care in his local Hispanic community. He currently works as a nurse in Northeast Georgia Health System’s emergency department, and intends to return soon to Brenau for a master’s degree.
“Being bilingual, I want to serve as a medium for providers and patients, and have them experience a better quality of care,” he said.
After transferring with his associate’s degree to Brenau, he shared that the university quickly made him feel at home. The nursing grad attributes a large portion of his academic success to Brenau’s small class sizes and the one-on-one attention he received from professors.
If he could give one piece to first-generation college students, he would say, “don’t be afraid to reach out and use the resources available to you.”
“You are more than capable of being here and succeeding in a college setting,” he said. “I’m really thankful and blessed to have been given the opportunity to go through this journey, especially at Brenau.”
