When deciding where to attend nursing school, Robert Kiss-Mihaly was torn between continuing his education in Georgia or returning to his native Canada.

Ultimately, Kiss-Mihaly decided to stay in Georgia, where he is now in his final year of the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Brenau University’s Norcross campus.

Kiss-Mihaly says he chose Brenau after graduating from Kennesaw State University because it was close to where he lived at the time and he liked the accelerated program, which allows students to earn a nursing degree in as little as 16 months. He also saw it as a great opportunity to jump-start a career of caring for others.

“I decided to major in nursing because I’ve always had a passion for helping people,” Kiss-Mihaly says. “I enjoy helping to make them feel better and seeing them leave happier after being treated.”

Kiss-Mihaly, who moved to the U.S. as a child after his father got a job here, says he still visits Canada and lived there briefly before starting college. While much of his life has been spent in North America, he also lived with his mother for a year in her home country of Hungary when he was 13.

“My mom talks to me in Hungarian, so I can communicate with my family that still lives there,” he says. “Hungary is amazing. The country has a lot of history, and the people there were very friendly. They are really proud of their culture as well.”

Kiss-Mihaly says he would like to stay in the U.S. after graduating from Brenau and work in an emergency room for a few years before pursuing an advanced degree, possibly to become a nurse practitioner. He says the closeness and support of the Brenau community is his favorite thing about attending the university.

“I like seeing my classmates because we can talk and learn from each other,” Kiss-Mihaly says. “I like that Brenau is student-oriented. The professors teach us and make sure we understand. They’re concerned that we actually know the material.”