Henessae Shavers might not be the typical second-year college student when she starts talking about her plans for the future. A Bryant, Arkansas, high school graduate, Shavers has dreams and ambitions to train to be a forensic pathologist that may take her far away from her native state one day.

Shavers started at SAU Tech in the fall of 2019 as a member of the first SAU Tech NJCAA softball team. She has shown her grit both on the field playing outfield and off the field in the classroom. Shavers stated that she knew herself well enough in high school to see that she needed to attend a two-year college before going to a four-year university. Being a bit of an introvert, she said, "SAU Tech was the right choice for me to play softball and work on my degree."

Shavers is the 2020 SAU Tech Arkansas Community Colleges Academic All-Star. Shavers is planning to major in pre-med, and with the All-Star scholarship, she will have her pick of Arkansas four-year colleges. The ACC Academic All-Star scholarship provides transfer scholarships to all of the public four-year institutions in the state. Shavers shared that she welcomes offers from any interested colleges as she plans on playing softball while she works on her pre-med degree. Shavers is a strong-willed and thoughtful young woman with a plan for her future. She talked about Australia and having family there and expressed hope that she might have options to live there when the pandemic ends.

She noted that everyone is not jumping to pursue a career as a forensic pathologist. She believes it's essential to have people willing to do the kind of work it takes to give families answers when their loved ones pass away.

Dr. Jason Morrison, SAU Tech's Chancellor, stated that "I am incredibly impressed with Henessae. She shows more maturity and thoughtfulness than many her age, and it's exciting to see a young person start at SAU Tech with plans to pursue a professional degree. We wish her the very best for her future."

Shavers is on track to graduate with her associate degree in May 2021. Learn more about Henessae Shavers on Rocket Launcher LIVE on Nov. 4 at Noon on Facebook or on KCAC 89.5.