Finding Greatness: Andrea del Ma Borrero Cortes

Author: Sheron Smith
Posted: Friday, February 6, 2026 12:00 AM
Categories: Students | Pressroom | School of Health and Natural Sciences | Finding Greatness

Macon, GA

Andrea del Ma Borrero Cortes is a senior nursing major at MGA.

Andrea del Ma Borrero Cortes is a senior nursing student balancing rigorous academic work with part-time jobs as a pharmacy courier and a server. Her goal is to become a certified nurse midwife.

Full Name: Andrea del Ma Borrero Cortes.

Age: 24.

Hometown: Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico; raised in Byron, Ga.

Residence: Macon, Ga.

Family: “I have two younger siblings, Marta and Felipe Santiago. After dropping out of college in 2021, it was really important for me to come back, finish my degree, and set a good example for them.”

Employment: Pharmacy courier and server. “I work (part-time while maintaining a full school schedule.”

Degree Objective: Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Class Rank: Senior.

Career Goals: “I come from a family of nurses — my grandma, my aunts, and cousins are all in this field. When my mom was pregnant with my two siblings, she had the most amazing nurses take care of her alongside an amazing midwife. That led to my desire to begin my career in nursing and specialize in labor and delivery. After completion of my BSN, I plan to work in labor and delivery and later return to school for my master’s degree as a certified nurse midwife.”

She chose Middle Georgia State University because … “When I graduated high school, I knew a lot of people who were going to attend MGA and many of the people I knew spoke very highly of this school. Yet, I wanted to live my college dream and move to a new place, so I attended a bigger university. While there, I quickly became disappointed because the student-to-teacher ratio was too large and I felt like I was doing myself a disservice. When I moved back to this area, I still had the desire to become a nurse, and I knew that at MGA I would receive the education I was seeking. Most importantly, while at my prior university, I heard that the NCLEX first-time pass rate at MGA was nearly 100 percent for BSN students. Being back in Macon, wanting to finish school, and MGA’s affordability led me to the obvious decision that if I wanted to make my dream come true, MGA was my best option.”

The greatest thing she discovered about Middle Georgia State was … “Everyone who said that the professors in the nursing program really care about their students was absolutely 100 percent right. At Middle Georgia State, the professors make themselves available to help you. They build connections with you and support you through the process. They do not make the classes or tests easier; they do not offer extra credit, nor do they round up your grade, but they make sure to prepare you with the tools that you need to not only pass their courses but be able to apply what you learned at the clinical level.”

Her greatest academic experience as a Middle Georgia State student has been … “One time I failed my blood pressure checkoff. When it comes to skill checkoffs, you only get two attempts. At your second failure, you have to withdraw from the course and wait until the next semester to retake it. On the morning of my second check-off, I was nervous.  My heart was beating so loud that I could not hear my partner’s blood pressure through my stethoscope. My professor at the time, Dr. Wallace, sat with me, spoke to me therapeutically, and guided me through a breathing exercise. When it came time to redo the blood pressure, I did not want to call it out. So she allowed me to write it down and compared it to the number she had written down, and they matched. I felt the weight of the world lift off my shoulders. In that moment, I understood that if I just took my time and truly tried, nursing school would not be an impossible task.”

To her, greatness means … “Never giving up. It’s not about how long a journey takes or how perfectly you do it. Greatness is knowing that if you just try and devote yourself and your time to what you want, you will get it. Every rock bottom that you hit will always be met by a new high. Accepting that the path through life isn’t linear is what will allow you to achieve ‘greatness.’”

In five years … “Once I graduate, I plan to move to Atlanta and work at Piedmont Hospital. I plan to work in labor and delivery for at least two years and go back to school to advance my degree as a certified nurse midwife. In five years, I should be planning my second graduation from college.”