By Susanne Reynolds

Special to The Post-Searchlight

Monday evening, Bainbridge State College School of Health Sciences & Professional Studies students were honored for Work Ethics Recognition. These students were nominated by their instructors because of their strong commitment to work ethics.

The overall goal of the honor is to provide students with the necessary skills needed to be successful employees in their chosen careers. To be successful in the career, students must possess both strong occupational skills and good work habits. Appearance, attendance, character, communication, leadership, organizational skills, productivity, respect, self-esteem and teamwork are all the criteria faculty considered when nominating students.

Barry Smith, BSC’s Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) student, addressed his fellow students on the qualities of success.

“These qualities will not only sow the seeds of your own success, but serve as an inspiration to others—setting an example that anyone would do well to emulate. Such inspiration is often needed because the fruits of our labor seldom arrive immediately or in the way one might expect,” said Smith.

Challenges are things that must be addressed throughout life—but according to Smith, work ethics can assist in the hardships and setbacks. He provided his insight on work ethics.

He said, “The point I would like to bring home tonight is that work ethics are not something that a person either has and will always have or lacks and will always lack. Work ethics are a habit developed over time and reinforced or undermined by the decisions we make every day.”

Students were awarded a certificate in commemoration of their outstanding work ethics.

Tuesday evening, HSPS awarded students with their Technical Certificates of Credits (TCC).

The student speaker was Devony Yearby, a professional nursing student from Thomasville, who worked 20 years as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) before returning to college to become a registered nurse.

As a member of the freshman PN class, Yearby was chosen this semester by her instructors to receive the Work Ethics award, given to students with outstanding work ethics. She was also chosen to be the student speaker for the program because she in example of Bainbridge State HSPS’s hope that all TCC recipients will use their certificate as a stepping stone in the pursuit of their education and career goals.