I ncoming Bobcat Ce’Darius Ingram is from Sparta, Georgia, where he graduated from Hancock Central High School as salutatorian—and his grandfather has to travel all over creation to get his medication.
 
That fact, alongside his passion for helping people and small communities, led Ingram to Georgia College & State University—where he’ll study exercise science in the fall.
 
“I’ve always had a passion for being the person that people come to for help and advice,” he said. “There are so many jobs that offer that, but I feel like a pharmacist offers the best.”

Not only is the field expected to boom in the next decade, he said, but his hometown is one of many communities with a pharmacy that does not accept all insurance providers.

“I don’t like to see my grandparent travel to get his medicine,” Ingram said. “Why not travel in his hometown? This really inspired me to open my own pharmacy in a rural town.”

“I just want to help people out in a small community, because I feel like small communities are overlooked, but there’s a lot of jewels within these small communities and they need to shine and be seen,” he said.

Q: Tell me about your journey to salutatorian.

A: As a young kid, my auntie always prepped me for the next level. She always made me read or do multiplication before I went out to play. She knew I loved to go outside and play, so she used that to motivate me to learn.

It eventually paid off over the years, and I started to make all A’s. That led me to salutatorian.

Q: Why did you choose Georgia College?

A: What motivated me to go to college was to get a higher education. Higher education—and not just college education—but whether it’s a trade school or something else, higher education leads to much more success.

What stood out to me about Georgia College was the atmosphere and the culture. Everyone here is so nice, especially my Admissions counselor, Ms. Rachel Belcher. She helped me throughout the process, and answered almost all my questions. She made Georgia College seem like it was home.

Q: What booths are you beelining for at orientation?

A: The Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity booth and overall leadership and community involvement booths, because I’d really like to get involved with the community. Along with being a pharmacist, I plan on being a health advocate—so I want to get my name out there and let people know I’m here to help everybody.
 
And when I come in the fall, I definitely look forward to getting in a bunch of intramural sports, because I love the environment. I see the posts on social media all the time, and I really love everyone smiling and having a great time—it makes me excited to come.