Joy Bratcher loves the adrenaline rush of covering “on-the-scene” news—the result, she says, of years of watching WSB-TV news programs with her family and a high school internship at the Covington News.

Bratcher is a student at Georgia Perimeter College’s Newton Campus and serves as a campus editor of The Collegian, GPC’s student newspaper. “I love to write—it’s been my passion and my gift,” says the 20-year-old.

It seemed natural that she would major in journalism, Bratcher says. But during her senior year at Eastside High School in Covington, she wasn’t quite sure of anything.

Bratcher had been accepted at Emory University’s two-year campus at Oxford. Then her father was diagnosed with cancer, and her family grappled with the expense of his treatment. 

An only child, Bratcher knew she wanted to stay close to home and her dad. Emory at Oxford and Georgia Perimeter were close to her Covington home—but GPC cost less. She chose GPC and has never looked back.

“It has been a huge blessing—if I didn’t have the financial aid, I wouldn’t be in college,” says Bratcher matter-of-factly.

An Honors Program student, Bratcher says she has been able to finance her education at GPC through the state’s HOPE scholarship and federal Pell Grants. She also counts her blessings that journalism is offered at GPC. Soon after she decided to major in journalism, Emory discontinued its journalism program.

She’s become a huge advocate for Georgia Perimeter, writing an opinion piece for the student newspaper about the benefits of a two-year college.

“When my friends [who are considering college] ask me what to do, I tell them you have to be open to what’s right for you, but you also have to assess the financial part of college,” she says.

Bratcher encourages students to enjoy their GPC experience. “I’ve had wonderful professors both in class and online,” she says. She cites her online journalism class with Professor Bettina Durant as one of the best. “She is so sweet and generous, and her classes are so much fun,” Bratcher says. “She makes us feel like a close class—even when we’re all online.” 

Bratcher credits GPC’s public safety director, Chief Nicholas Marinelli, as one of the key people who have inspired her to focus on covering public safety and crime stories. She met him while researching a story on campus surveillance cameras.

Bratcher plans to graduate from GPC in December and hopes to transfer to the University of Georgia or Georgia State University—both have strong journalism programs, she says.