Brenda Washington always dreamed of becoming a lawyer. However, as a kid growing up in a small town in rural Alabama, she didn’t see any representation and struggled with the aspiration.
In 2004, at the age of 18, she joined the U.S. Army to pay for college. But her life and career took a different path; she ended up serving as a combat medic for 20 years.
“ I was never gonna leave,” she explained. “They were gonna have to put me out. But in 2020, when they sent me to New York for COVID support, it just, it was a lot. About 70% of my patients died, and I said, ‘You know, I think it’s time to transition to something else.'”
Amid the pandemic, Washington enrolled at Georgia State’s Perimeter College with the plan to transfer to GSU’s Atlanta campus. She initially majored in English but eventually shifted focus and earned her bachelor’s degree in political science with a prelaw concentration.
On Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” as part of the program’s annual graduation series, the graduate reflected on her academic journey and discussed the rigors of attending school while also managing family responsibilities. The mom of 3 also explained how serving her country gave her the foundation and courage to flourish.
