Perimeter College

Homeschooled because of health issues, David Gaines excelled academically — so much so that he started college at age 14. Perimeter College was the “perfect fit” for him, Gaines said, letting him develop his social skills while acclimating to life as a full-time college student. It also gave him the opportunity to smoothly transition to Georgia State University’s Atlanta Campus to continue his education. At 16, Gaines graduated from Perimeter, moving closer to his ambitious goals: to become a neurologist, a neurosurgeon and an attorney specializing in health sector policy law.

His Path

Gaines graduated from Perimeter College in May 2020 with an Associate of Science degree after following the college’s Biology pathway. He now studies biology, with an emphasis on microbiology, on Georgia State’s Atlanta Campus and is on track to graduate with his bachelor’s degree in spring or summer 2021. Gaines originally planned to pursue a dual track of medicine and law immediately after completing his bachelor’s degree. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he did not want to participate in in-person labs or clinicals, so he is pursuing his law degree first. “I always knew I wanted to get a MD/JD. But right now, I’m at high risk, and if I get COVID-19, my whole family would be in danger.”

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Instead of pursuing medicine immediately, Gaines will enter Georgia State’s College of Law in fall 2021. He has been accepted under the Panther Scholars Program, which waives the Law School Admission Test for outstanding Georgia State undergraduate students whose top choice for law school is Georgia State. At 18, Gaines will be one of the youngest students in Georgia State’s College of Law. He is interested in studying medical malpractice and health policy, combining his interest in medicine and law. “I really am interested in specializing in medical malpractice. I want to advocate for people who can’t advocate for themselves, especially non-native speakers,” he said.

Further information

https://news.gsu.edu/2020/05/07/david-gaines-16-is-colleges-youngest-2020-graduate/

https://law.gsu.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/jd/#panther-scholars

https://casa.gsu.edu/files/2020/08/Panther-Scholars-Program-1.pdf

https://www.wabe.org/at-16-years-old-meet-gsu-perimeter-colleges-youngest-2020-graduate/

Joseph Dunagan’s move from college to career was a quick one. Even before he graduated from Perimeter College in 2019 with an associate of science degree focused on radiologic technology and received his clinical certification from the School of Radiologic Technology at Grady Health System, Dunagan had accepted a job at an Atlanta-area spine clinic.

“I was very surprised at how soon the offer came, but I was glad because I couldn’t wait to start working,” Dunagan said.

His Path:

A few years ago, Dunagan was working as an emergency room technician when he learned about the radiologic technology pathway at Perimeter. The two-year program enables students to take general education courses at Perimeter and clinical training at either Grady or Emory Decatur Hospital School of Radiologic Technology. Dunagan lived near Perimeter’s Newton Campus location, so he attended classes there and continued his full-time work as an ER tech until starting the program’s clinical side.

“In high school, everybody interested in the medical field all have their sights set on being a nurse or a doctor,” Dunagan said. He added that radiology is “a very good option for anybody interested in working in the medical field and advancing their education or just having a solid stable career.”

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Dunagan reports high job satisfaction after working for the past year in one of the nation’s fastest growing professions. He’s considering building upon his rad tech education and skills by becoming a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technologist, but says — for now — he’s “happy.”

Further Information:

https://news.gsu.edu/2020/02/13/radiologic-tech-grads-moving-quickly-to-careers/

https://perimeter.gsu.edu/health-professions/

https://www.gradyhealth.org/education-training/schools-of-imaging-technologies/the-school-of-radiologic-technology/

https://www.dekalbmedical.org/residencies-and-schools/radiology-school

https://perimeter.gsu.edu/perimeter-campuses/#newton-campus

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/radiologic-technologists.htm