The Beaufort County Community College Association of Nursing Students has elected officers for 2011-2012 and is planning projects for the upcoming year.

Chosen to lead the organization was Michelle Leggett, who serves as president of the organization. Leggett, of Jamesville, is a student in BCCC’s Associate Degree Nursing program. She is a 1986 graduate of Williamston High School.

Leggett will be joined by Adam Higgins, vice president; Christy Ward, secretary; Sherri Griffin, treasurer; Stephanie Simmons, project coordinator; Lauren Bystrack, historian, and Buffy Gibbs, reporter.

Higgins, of Greenville, is a student in BCCC’s Associate Degree Nursing program and is employed as a care partner at Pitt County Memorial Hospital. Ward, of New Bern; Griffin, of Bath, and Simmons, of Grimesland, are also students in BCCC’s ADN program.

Bystrack, of Bath, is a student in BCCC’s Practical Nursing program and is employed at Walgreens. Gibbs, of Engelhard, is also a student in BCCC’s PN program and is employed at Pungo District Hospital as a Certified Nursing Assistant II.

“Being an active member of BCANS helps nursing students build a sense of professionalism,” said Sherry Glover, BCCC nursing instructor and BCANS advisor. “It gives students a sense of belonging and the opportunity to make a difference in the community while they are in nursing school. And as members, they will also be privy to scholarships and the opportunity to attend state and national conferences and conventions.”

BCANS is a local chapter of the National Student Nurses’ Association and was first organized in 1993.

The mission of the NSNA is to organize, represent and mentor students preparing for initial licensure as registered nurses, as well as those enrolled in baccalaureate completion programs; to convey the standards and ethics of the nursing profession; to promote development of the skills that students will need as responsible and accountable members of the nursing profession; to advocate for high quality health care; to advocate for and contribute to advances in nursing education, and to develop nursing students who are prepared to lead the profession in the future.