MARIETTA, Ga. — Among Marietta High School’s newest graduates, Polleen Coates stands out for her will to succeed. Perseverance, persistence, and grit define the 17-year-old, who’s spent a lot of her time in the lab learning to become a certified nursing assistant.
“We came in, didn’t know each other, and were forced to wash each other’s feet and brush each other’s teeth, so we had to become a little family,” Coates said. “This is so bittersweet. I’m so happy to move on to a new chapter, but I’m so sad because Marietta owes me nothing. It gave me so much.”
Polleen learned under Dianne Hannak, who said that students like Polleen can get a firsthand look at what it takes to enter the medical field. The industry has faced a shortage of workers, nurses, and physicians for several years now…