Mason Garland

Good Eye – Mason Garland

Mason Garland had to dissect a cow’s eye in a Jackson County High School science class. The level of the “Yuk!” factor her classmates expressed paled in comparison to the enthusiasm the Hochston, Georgia, native expressed.

Brenau pitched the Brenau Scholars opportunity her way, and Garland connected with a home-run swing. Brenau not only offered an outstanding health sciences program, but also provided the biology major a place to ply her considerable athletic talents. She now plays infield for the Golden Tigers’ nationally competitive intercollegiate softball team.

Nailing this prize student with designs on medical school was not an easy win for Brenau. Garland – a highly ranked prospect in basketball, soccer and softball – earlier committed to play softball for the University of Georgia. However, she worried that pressures of an NCAA Division I athletics program might distract her too much from her vision. Through her mother, who works at Gwinnett Medical Center, she had met various doctors, nurses and other health professionals and saw health care as an appropriate career path. She was drawn to Brenau because its athletes as
a group average higher in academic performance that the general student body. They are also encouraged to get involved in other activities, including national sorority chapters, like Phi Mu, which Garland pledged. “The campus felt homey,” she said, “and there was a good sense of family.”

Although she takes pride in her athletic accomplishments, those relate to team sports, whereas her selection as a Brenau Scholar does not. “My academics, my hard work, it’s all me,” she said. “Receiving this honor is a reminder of what my parents always told me, that through hard work, I can do anything.”

Comments
One Response to “Good Eye – Mason Garland”
  1. Esther Clarins says:

    It would have been nerve racking if the cow was actually killed in the class. I can relate to how the other students must feel. It shows she has the stomach for the health care field in a big way!

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