Nicole Stewart

Nicole Stewart

Tax Commissioner, Dawson County Government

University of North Georgia ‘06

Dawsonville, GA

Growing up, Nicole’s parents were always adamant that she would attend college. “My parents didn’t go to college; I was the first one. They always told me I was going to college.

They were so supportive and proud.” 

“HOPE gave me the ability to go to college. I don’t think my parents would’ve had the money. What I heard, especially in high school was, ‘you need to work on your scholarships, you need to get your grades up.’ I think they knew, you know, if it came down to it that they probably couldn’t pay for it, then I would have to get loans. But I graduated with no student debt and I didn’t pay to go to college. How amazing is that? Especially now when I think back on it, I know I am so blessed to be in Georgia and to have had that opportunity.” 

Nicole is currently serving Dawson County as the youngest Tax Commissioner in the state.  “I’ve always been really good at building relationships and relating to people, so I knew that I could bring that to this office. I hoped I could bring a positive light to this office. Because unfortunately, no one likes us; you’re usually paying when you come into my office. I understand that, one hundred percent. But there’s no reason to not be nice and polite and try to make you have a better day while you’re here.”

She considers the best part of her role to be the ability she has to serve her community. “I’m a big servant, especially serving Dawson County, I love Dawson County. To me, this job is the ultimate test of serving your county. If you’re going to be an elected official in your county, you’re 100% serving your county. This is what you do every day. I just really found a passion for that and giving back.”

“I love my job. It’s not one of those things where I think ‘I don’t want to go to work today.’ I never have that thought. It’s great. I just love coming to work. Some days are better than others, of course. But for the most part, it is always good.”

Clint Ledford

CLINT LEDFORD

Ingles, Pharmacy Manager

Mercer University, PharmD ‘06

Hayesville, NC

Clint Ledford grew up in Young Harris, Georgia, a small town in Towns County. He graduated from high school on the same campus where he attended elementary and middle school. When it was time to decide on a next-steps after high school, Clint’s family was supportive of his decision to study business. “My family has always been encouraging of everything I do and have always pushed me to be my best. They taught me that it’s OK to fail sometimes but giving up or not trying your best is not an option.”

Clint decided to attend Truett-McConnell College and with the help of the HOPE scholarship, it allowed him to be debt free when he transferred to Mercer University. “Without the HOPE scholarship, I would have no doubt had to focus on trying to attend a state funded institute since both schools are private colleges. Having received the HOPE, it provided me the flexibility I needed to choose a school of my choice.”

While at Truett-McConnell, Clint decided to pursue a career in pharmacy. His uncle, Martin Grizzard, also a pharmacist was a huge influence in this decision. “My uncle loved his job. You could see how much he cared about his community and that everyone in the community loved and cared for him too. I have always enjoyed helping people and getting to know people and their family so I decided that pharmacy would be a perfect fit. He taught me how rewarding it can be to help others and what a joy it can be to serve the community you grew up in. And, my parents stressed to me the importance of hard work.”

Upon graduating from Mercer University, Clint was able to come back to his hometown and start working. He would encourage college students today to not take opportunities for granted. “Do all you desire while you are young and energetic. Use your talents and gifts to serve others and you will be blessed beyond measure.”

Clint and his wife, Dr. Julie Patterson Ledford DDS, and their two sons reside in Hayesville, N.C.

Janene Browder

JANENE BROWDER

Senior Staff Attorney, Georgia Gov’t Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission

Savannah State University ’03, Mercer University ’09 M.B.A., Mercer University School of Law ’12 J.D.

Smyrna, GA

The daughter of two members of the Air Force, Janene grew up with a recognition of the importance of service. “I think it was just ingrained in me at a young age, having parents who were service members.”

She grew up in Atlanta, after relocating there after her father left the Air Force to work for Southern Bell Company. When it was time to leave for college, Janene had the desire to attend her father’s alma mater, Southern University in Louisiana. “But while I was in high school, my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and I just felt more and more uncomfortable being so far away. But thankfully, I had a mother who insisted that I not stay home in Atlanta. She wanted me to have an opportunity to come of age, without all of my decisions being guided by the closeness of being at home. I had been raised in a way that made me partial to a Historically Black College or University and that’s part of what lead me to Savannah State University.”

Janene says that the HOPE Scholarship had three primary impacts on her: it affected her sense of community, academic standards, and freedom. “The HOPE Scholarship gave me a larger sense of community. I felt like everyone across the state that purchased those lottery tickets was invested in my education. It also kept me with a standard that let me know not only were these people across the state invested in my education, but in order for that relationship to continue, there was some standard that I had to meet academically. And the third, is freedom. There is freedom in being able to use your time in different ways. It allowed me the freedom to be involved on campus and time that I might not have had to become as well-rounded as I could be, if not for having this source of funds to cover my tuition costs.”

Janene has continued to serve her community throughout her career and now serves as the Senior Staff Attorney on Georgia’s Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission. “I feel like I am serving the community that helped me get everything started. The statewide community was the reason why I had the tuition scholarship that I received. The work that I do now, it’s really about compliance and enforcement related to campaign filings and disclosures. We have some candidates for public offices whose positions are statewide positions, but some of them are also local. I am always thinking about the people in that community when I’m working to do my best to find resolutions in compliance with the law. To me, that’s the best thing.”

Janene lives in Smyrna with her husband, Hussene, and their four-year-old son. In the future, she would like to consider using her background in business to explore the private sector, while continuing her commitment to serving her community through volunteering.

Jessica Morgan

JESSICA MORGAN

Registered Nurse, Emory University Hospital Neurological Intensive Care Unit

Georgia State University ‘19

Atlanta, GA

Jessica was born and raised in Covington, GA. She knew from a young age that she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. “I decided I wanted to be a nurse at 16 years old. I have a passion for people and a heart to help where I can. The medical field is where I saw that for myself. I remember a specific moment, when I knew that an office job was not going to be fulfilling for me. I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.”

After a short time at Georgia College and State University, Jessica transferred to Georgia State University, where she graduated from the nursing school in 2019.

“If it wasn’t for the HOPE Scholarship, I wouldn’t be where I am today. My parents wouldn’t have been able to front the money that the scholarship was able to provide towards my education. It relieved the burden for having to figure out how I would pay for school, so that was less stress on me.”

During her clinical rotations, Jessica spent time in the Emory Neurological Intensive Care Unit, where she works now. “My unit is a comprehensive stroke center. When someone has a stroke, the consequences and damage in the brain could cause minor to extremely severe deficiencies. Recovery for someone who has a stroke takes physical therapy, occupational therapy, weeks and weeks of relearning and teaching your body certain things. A lot of the patients have to have patience. It can be really frustrating for them and it can take months to recover.”

“We see the same patients day in and day out. Recovery is something we see a lot. Seeing someone go from near-death, to walking around the halls and knowing that I played a role in their recovery is probably the greatest satisfaction that I’ve had in life so far.”

She sees the relationships she develops with patients as one of the most important parts of her job. “As a nurse there’s a special patient-nurse relationship. You really get to know the patient. I work night shift. Late at night, you would expect the patient to be asleep. But they’re in pain and alone, and you’re the person right by their side. That relationship is really what does it for me and that’s how I know I’m in the right profession.”

Jessica lives in Atlanta and hopes to use her experience as a nurse to go back to school and become a CRNA, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.

Kendra Hansey

KENDRA HANSEY

Press Officer, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee

University of Georgia ‘17

Colorado Springs, CO

Kendra grew up in Athens, Georgia. “My sister and I, we’re first generation college students and we’re first generation Americans as well. My mom is from Jamaica and my dad is from Bermuda.”

The summer before her senior year in high school, her mother underwent extensive open-heart surgery. She recovered, but the experience taught Kendra that life is too short to not try everything. “She had a ballooned aorta and it was the type that if you were to get too stressed, it could burst, and you bleed out and die within 15 seconds. That was a really stressful time in my life, but it taught me so many different things like gratefulness, the importance of family, and just having perspective. You only have one life to live, you need to maximize it.”

The HOPE Scholarship allowed her to do just that. During her time at the University of Georgia, she was able to pursue many different paths, including several majors and different certificates.

“I started off as a biochemistry major, and then made the switch to statistics. I received a certificate in sports media with minors in public health and political science. The burden that the HOPE Scholarship took off of me is huge. I have zero debt. I was able to pursue the paths I wanted to pursue and not have limitations of ‘how could I minimize my years in school so I can afford this?’ or ‘should I go to a community college instead?’ “

“The biggest thing I learned from my college experience was being able to interact with people from a variety of backgrounds. It taught me to be a better person, understand different perspectives, how to have more empathy towards people, and open my mind as well.”

One of her most significant experiences, not only in her college career, but in her life, was the opportunity to travel to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Paralympic Games as a reporter with the Associated Press. “I’ve attended three games now, but Rio 2016 will forever be my favorite. I was obsessed with Rio and it was just so cool to have that opportunity while being a student. I was a full-blown reporter. I was able to put everything that the Grady College of Journalism had taught me into practice and be exposed to new things.”

Kendra currently works as a Press Officer for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Team and has worked on the Team USA Press Team for the PyongChang Winter Games in 2018 and the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, in 2019.

In the future, Kendra hopes to eventually move back home to achieve a law degree from the University of Georgia and to one day become a judge.

Kristin Bernhard

Kristin Bernhard

Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy, Ounce of Prevention Fund

University of Georgia BA ’09, Georgia State University College of Law JD ‘14

Chicago, IL

Kristin has been aware of the importance of public policy since she was very young. “I remember I was eight years old when Bob Dole ran for president in 1996 and I remember going phone banking with my mom to help on that election. That was always something I was raised with: that if you believe strongly in something, like thinking about the public policies and voting issues that impact it, it is just a part of what you do.”

Although she considered leaving Georgia, and her hometown of Roswell, to attend college, “you could not beat the deal of the HOPE Scholarship and a tuition free education at the University of Georgia.”

While at UGA and through the support of the HOPE Scholarship, Kristin was able to participate in organizations and campaigns that furthered her experience in the world of civic engagement. “The ability to not have to worry about tuition costs changed the type of collegiate experience I had. I was able to participate in more on-campus activities without having to worry about needing to work a job or be concerned with not being able to remain on campus, or other hurtles that might have been the case if tuition scholarship wasn’t there. It was really through a lot of those extra-curriculars that I found my passion and was able to connect with public policy, become involved in politics, and begin to pursue a career in public policy. It really allowed me to have a mature college experience in terms of the types of experiences I could have.”

Kristin currently works as the Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Policy for the Ounce of Prevention Fund in Chicago. “I lead state policy work for Ounce across a network of 21 states. I am building on the lessons I learned in public service in Georgia, supporting other states across the country and also improving the quality of their early learning systems.”

“My favorite thing about public policy in general, and my current role, is that the work you do is so incredibly rewarding because it’s directly impacting the lives of children, particularly with public policy in early childhood education. It’s not just impacting children now, it’s impacting their whole trajectory, and it’s impacting their families. When I get to work with the state and help them, for example, expand access to really high quality childcare, you’re helping that child to be ready for kindergarten and to show up for k-12 school ready to learn and succeed, but high quality childcare also helps a parent go to work or go back to school for themselves or support their family’s well-being. It’s that two generation impact. To know that the work that you’re doing every day is supporting that is just mentally rewarding.”

Kristin lives and works in Chicago and hopes to continue her work in public policy by “looking for ways to grow my impact and grow my expertise and think about how the connection of public policy can affect healthy and thriving families and kids that are able to achieve their full potential. As long as I continue to deepen my impact in those areas, that would look like success to me.”

Rachel Ramsey

RACHEL RAMSEY

Community Outreach Coordinator, Zell Miller Foundation

University of Georgia '18

Covington, GA

Bryan Miller first met Rachel, 24, when she interviewed for a job at the Zell Miller Foundation.

A native of Covington, Rachel graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in history after earning a Zell Miller Scholarship, the top tier of HOPE which provides full tuition.

Rachel came across a job Bryan had posted online. When Bryan asked during her interview why she applied, her answer was simple. “I owe Zell Miller a lot. What other place can a person go to Pre-K, attend college on a HOPE Scholarship, and get a job with a foundation where all those things are connected by one person’s legacy?”

She continued, “It took three museum internships to realize why I liked history so much. It’s the people. What I truly wanted to do was positively affect people’s lives and their communities.”

Bryan knew right away he wanted to hire her. Rachel has now been with the Zell Miller Foundation for a little over one year. She serves as the Community Outreach Coordinator where she helps foster relationships with stakeholders across Georgia.

“I have been able to travel and meet people all over the state while learning about the issues facing their communities. I am proud to be a part of a nonprofit dedicated to sharing the stories of people like me, the real beneficiaries of HOPE, and connecting them to each other.”