Bayou Buckeye: Lifelong Fan Achieves Dream of Attending Ohio State
Louisiana native George Bevan has been an Ohio State fan for years. After watching the Buckeyes win the National Championship in 2002, he dreamed of one day attending Ohio State for college.
When it came time for Bevan to decide on a school, however, he realized it made more sense to attend college closer to home in Baton Rouge. But he never gave up his hope of one day attending Ohio State.
Now living and working in the healthcare field in New Orleans, Bevan said the time was right for him to consider going back to school. He discovered Ohio State’s online BS in Health Sciences program, which is allowing him to advance his career and focus on his passion for patient interaction while also fulfilling his dream of becoming a Buckeye – all without giving up his life in Louisiana.
We got a chance to sit down with Bevan and discuss his Buckeye journey and online experience.
Tell us about yourself.
I’m originally from Baton Rouge, and I attended LSU for my first degree. I now live in New Orleans and work as emergency medical coordinator for the Audubon Nature Institute, which is the zoo and aquarium. I am also certified as a bike medic, and I volunteer with New Orleans EMS as a bike medic during Mardi Gras.
My hobbies include CrossFit, biking and watching Ohio State football. It was always my dream to go to Ohio State, which all started back in 2002 when Ohio State won their National Championship. I jumped on the bandwagon and I’ve been a fan ever since.
What led you the online Heath Sciences degree at Ohio State?
My graduate degree is in business administration, and I thought I wanted to go into healthcare management. But ultimately working as an EMT I knew that I was going to miss that patient contact. This fall, I'm planning to apply to a physician assistant program. This Ohio State degree is helping me knock out a lot of those pre-requisites.
How did you find your way to the healthcare field?
I was very indecisive in undergrad. I changed from political science to communication to marketing to history. I thought I'd take an EMT class to gain some nice practical knowledge, since it fit into my schedule. I ended up doing really well in the class and liking it. After that, I worked for a private ambulance company for two and a half years, then I moved and worked for New Orleans EMS for a while.
Why was online the right choice for you?
Working full time, it's really convenient to be able to hop online during breaks or at night. Really, it comes down to the freedom of being able to pursue this degree without giving up my life here.
Really, it comes down to the freedom of being able to pursue this degree without giving up my life here.
How has your experience been in your online program?
I have been so pleasantly surprised by the experience. My first semester I scheduled the wrong class and one of my advisors reached out and said, "I went ahead and fixed this for you. You're good to go." I was just so blown away that there was someone out there looking out for an online student.
As far as faculty go, you really feel like you get to know the professors. They're always in constant communication with you through CarmenCanvas. Occasionally, you'll get an email from them just checking in to see how your semester is going.
How has the program been relevant to your job now?
This semester, I'm taking a class that we call "The Art of Healthcare," and it's essentially all the non-scientific stuff about healthcare: how to interact and connect with patients beyond anatomy and biology. A lot of the things I've learned from that class I've been able to implement in my own job. Even though I now have more of a management position, I still interact with patients every day.
What’s been your favorite part of the experience?
I can't tell you how badly I wanted to go to Ohio State when I was first applying to colleges. I was looking for other online programs and happened to wander on to Ohio State's page. I originally discovered the health sciences program, but it was on campus. Several months later, I checked back, and they were offering online classes. To be able to do this online program has really been a dream come true.