This is the third entry in the Class of 2024 series.
One night after becoming a certified nursing assistant, Aviana Smith returned to the Pine Bluff Convention Center for another graduation ceremony.
She received her diploma from Watson Chapel High School on Friday, becoming the first person in Jefferson County to simultaneously complete high school and CNA studies, according to Southeast Arkansas College. The 18-year-old achieved the feat through SEARK’s Career Center, which was created a year ago.
“This made me feel powerful,” she said. “It made me feel like I can do anything I set my mind to.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The certificate is for proficiency as a home care aide. According to Watson Chapel career coach Carl Whimper, Smith earned it through a program approved by the Arkansas Department of Human Services’ Division of Medical Services-Office of Long Term Care.
“I am very excited,” Smith said. “I really wanted to do this because I love helping people.”
Smith completed the certified nursing assistant/home health aide course through the Career Center and passed the CNA Knowledge exam April 11 in Monticello. She now plans to attend the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and earn a bachelor of science in nursing and a phlebotomy license.
Smith’s high school-early college double was also acknowledged during a Watson Chapel School District board meeting earlier this week. It was during an 11th grade orientation, she said, when a speaker from SEARK said students could earn college credit while earning their high school diploma.
“I said, ‘Hey, I want to earn college credit,'” Smith said.
Jacorrion Spears was one of Smith’s teachers at Watson Chapel before taking on the role of Early College Experience director and seeing Smith’s historic achievement firsthand.
“Aviana started this and kind of got interrupted while I was teaching her history,” Spears said. “When I got into the position at SEARK, while I was in the interview, I had a student tell me she didn’t get a chance to get finished, and me making sure that she got finished was one of the things I wanted to make sure I did before I got the position.”
And now, SEARK interim President Stacy Pfluger has hailed Smith as a trailblazer for the program.
“We have a number of students on track to take the CNA program next year as part of their senior-year curriculum,” Pfluger said.