While the University of North Texas made the difficult decision to postpone commencement ceremonies, there's still plenty to celebrate in these inspiring stories of our recent CLASS graduates.

Logan Bruffett has accomplished a lot in her time at UNT:

• Won one regular season championship and three Conference USA tournament championships as a member of the Mean Green women's soccer team, the last while serving as a team captain;
• Voted CUSA All-Conference in women's soccer;
• Made the President's List every semester with a perfect 4.0 grade point average;
• Became the first academic All-American in the 25-year history of the UNT soccer program;
• Received the Golden Eagle Award, the highest student leadership honor given at UNT, for her service on- and off-campus, including working at two local low-income clinics;
• Graduating with a bachelor's of science in integrative studies with focuses in kinesiology, biology and psychology in preparation for seeking a physician's assistant (PA) master's degree after graduation.

As impressive as the list above is, what's even more remarkable is that she did it all in just three years. While Logan came to UNT out of high school with several college credits, she says the caring nature of her professors was instrumental to her early graduation.

"All of my UNT professors were accommodating and understanding, especially in the fall semesters during soccer season when the team traveled considerably," says Logan. "I took genetics last fall with Tyra Hall-Pogar, who always made herself accessible--and we had great communication. Another example is my chemistry professor, Susan Broadway, who was always willing to answer emails or stay after class to clarify material with me. I found that the professors at UNT really cared about helping me and my peers succeed."

Logan says her athletics academic advisor Erica Kral and pre-PA advisor Todd Lang also played significant roles in keeping her on track.

"Planning an intensive course schedule around practices and games can be challenging, but Erica was always really patient, working with me to make everything line up," says Logan. "Todd also worked with me every semester to make sure I was taking the right courses to stay on the pre-physician's assistant track and be ready for medical school."

Unable to find a master's healthcare program that could coexist with the considerable demands of collegiate soccer, Logan made the difficult decision to forego her fourth year of NCAA eligibility so she could graduate early and apply to several top-ranked PA programs. Although she'll sincerely miss her coaches and teammates, she says the timing feels right to take the next step toward her ultimate career goal.

"I've always known I wanted to serve in the patient care field," says Logan. "That's why I've decided to go to graduate medical school to become a certified PA. Through working at two non-profit clinics and shadowing PA's during college, I saw the duties and versatility of the PA role firsthand."

"Whether diagnosing and treating patients in routine visits, carrying out in-clinic procedures, or assisting in surgeries, PA's are performing more and more patient care responsibilities previously only done by MD's. Personally, what really hooked me was seeing PA's develop close bonds with their patients as they worked with them on achieving their health goals. That's my ultimate objective."

Even with all she's achieved over the last three years at UNT, there's one accomplishment that stands above the rest for Logan.

"It was one of my greatest honors to be chosen to serve as a captain for UNT's outstanding soccer program this past year," says Logan. "It's hard to express how exceptional this group of ladies and coaches is! Although I had to keep my grades up and get clinical hours, I never considered it a chore to play on and help lead this team. Especially since I shared the position with three other incredible captains."

"My absolute best UNT memory was when the entire team came together to defeat FAU on our home field in the championship match this year. Looking back, I realize that athletics has shaped me as much as academics, if not more so. It taught me the teamwork skills, work ethic and dedication needed to be successful in every other part of my life. Playing for UNT's highly competitive program was a real blessing."

See all of the Spring 2020 UNT Great Grads here.