Like many students who are grateful for a chance to succeed, but who come from less than favorable circumstances, Samantha “Logan” Spinks is one of the lucky ones. In 1999, influenced by a Chattanooga State billboard encouraging students to “Transform Your Life,” Logan did just that, but not without encountering a few road blacks.

Her first application into a nursing program at a nearby community college was rejected. “I was a single mother at the time struggling to makes end meet. I had very little financial resources and had no idea how I would make it as an adult. I graduated from high school with a 2.5 GPA and a composite score of 19 on my ACT,” shares Logan. “I felt that I would never get accepted into a nursing program,” she adds. Following that rejection, she applied to Chattanooga State’s Practical Nursing Program in 1999 and to her surprise and delight, was accepted. “From that point on, I knew that nursing was my purpose in life,” she says, smiling.

Now confident in her career choice, Logan received constant support from the LPN staff at Chattanooga State. She graduated in 2000 and continued to look forward as she entered and graduated from the LPN-RN Transition program. “My desire to further my education was sparked by the staff who not only mentored me but gave me confidence and the courage to continue,” remembers Logan.

Now a registered nursing graduate, Logan’s next stop was to receive her Critical Care Registered Nursing (CCRN) certification in 2003. “My love for nursing inspired me to pursue advanced practice. I graduated from Southern Adventist University (SAU), May 2016, with my MSN, Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP), while also receiving the Clinical Excellence Award,” she states proudly.

As a currently practicing ACNP, Logan specializes in Gastroenterology. She is a member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, American Gastroenterology Association, and the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She will begin studies to complete her Doctor of Nursing Practitioner (DNP) at SAU during the Fall 2017 semester.

Grateful for her start at Chattanooga State, she knows that without that chance she would not be where she is today. “Your staff are role models for young nurses and have a great influence on our profession. I am proud to have graduated from such a prestigious program and felt very prepared to practice nursing with the education I received at Chattanooga State,” says Logan.

For more information about Chattanooga State’s nursing and allied health programs, call 423-697-4450 or visit https://www.chattanoogastate.edu/nursing-allied-health. For information about the practical nursing program, see https://www.chattanoogastate.edu/practical-nursing or call 423-697-4447.