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Georgia Gwinnett College grad overcomes childhood trauma to earn degree
It’s been a long, uphill road but Georgia Gwinnett College history graduate Nicholas Brown is about to reach a milestone a lifetime in the making. A native of Duluth, Brown has been overcoming challenges most never face since he was old enough to walk.
In 1998, when he was just three-and-a-half, he and his father were on their way home from a trip to the grocery store when their car was t-boned by another that blew through a red light going 55 miles an hour. Brown was knocked unconscious and nearly died from his injuries twice – once immediately after the crash and the next day in the intensive care unit when his little body went into aftershock.
He spent two weeks in the ICU fighting for his life, then more than four weeks in the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta - Scottish Rite Hospital learning how to swallow, walk and talk again. From there it was two years in outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapies that continued in the Fulton County School System until he graduated from Northview High School.
In short, Brown has spent his entire life recovering from injuries.
“I have multiple health issues, including traumatic brain injury, type one diabetes and post-traumatic stress disorder,” explains Brown, who will turn 29 just before he graduates. “Because of these challenges, it has taken me longer to complete my degree, but I have worked hard to get to where I am today, and I’m very proud to be here.”
Brown will receive a bachelor’s degree in history with a concentration in United States history, and minors in business administration and geography at GGC’s commencement ceremony on May 9. He says he picked that field of study because history speaks to him.
“I enjoy stories,” he says. “And I naturally understand history best of all the fields I’ve studied.”
Brown says he chose GGC partly because it’s affordable and he could live at his home in Johns Creek while earning his degree, but the main reason is more personal.
“I feel like I can be myself here,” he says. “I knew the first time I set foot on the campus that it would be my choice because it made me smile.”
Brown says that first visit to the GGC campus is among his favorite memories.
“I first came to the campus in 2014 for a tour, and I realized that this was where I wanted to go to college,” he says. “My mom told me, ‘I don’t care if it takes you 10 years to get your college degree. If this is where you want to go, I will support you.’”
That was exactly 10 years ago.
Brown was determined not to coast through his college years. Instead, he pushed through his challenges and immersed himself in the GGC experience, becoming a key player in multiple student groups. He joined GGC's Gamma Theta Upsilon International Geographical Honor Society and GGC's Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society. He says presenting at GGC's CREATE Symposium, which celebrates undergraduate research, scholarship and creativity, was particularly fulfilling.
“My presentation was about the Snail Darter and the Tennessee Valley Authority legal case in 1978,” he recalls. “I’m still quite proud of it.”
Brown also works at the Daniel J. Kaufman Library & Learning Center, helping students and faculty find materials and resources.
"Working here has taught me many valuable skills that I have been able to apply to myself currently and will be able to use in the future,” Brown said.
After graduating, Brown plans to work on a master's degree in library and information science at Valdosta State University.
Brown will be among more than 900 students who will graduate at GGC’s spring 2024 commencement, taking place at 10 a.m. May 9 at Gas South District in Duluth.