Thanks to a generous grant from the Centers for Disease Control, the Harding Independence Charter District has employed a school nurse to take over COVID-19 tracing and testing. In December, nurse Alicyia Rogers joined the school team.  

Rogers, a graduate of Langston University, is a mother to an 8-month-old baby girl named Alizyia. In high school, Rogers played basketball, and credits her coach, and her high school counselor,  

 “I initially wanted to be a teacher, but of course I came back to my counselor from high school,” Rogers said. “I talked to a couple of my mentors, and I told them, it’s between being a teacher and being a nurse.”  

With that, Rogers originally went to college to earn a degree in education with the goal of giving back to her community. Instead, she found a love for nursing.   

“My coach told me, ‘Well go ahead and be a nurse and you can always take the state test to become a teacher.’ So, I could pretty much do both,” Rogers said.  

Rogers said she heard about Harding through some alumni, and when she saw the job availability she said, “Why not?” Rogers said the job was perfect, because she wanted a school atmosphere, and now she could get that as a nurse. She also said she looks forward to experiencing the culture of the school.  

In her free time Rogers said she loves going on road trips, spending time with her daughter, and being involved in sports. In addition to her job with HICD, Rogers is also a nurse at a hospital PRN (as needed). She said she would not count sleeping as a hobby because she does not get much of that.  

Rogers said that COVID-19 testing and wearing your mask is key.  

“Even if you are fully vaccinated, you can still get COVID-19, so to keep yourself and others safe by COVID testing, COVID testing, COVID testing!” she said. “I am big fan of Lebron James. He is fully- vaccinated and he tested positive for COVID-19 December 1. So, get tested!”   

She is currently doing COVID testing by appointment only, and only for the student body and faculty of HICD.   

“My door is always open. It doesn’t matter if you need a minute to breathe, a COVID-19 test or just don’t feel well,” Rogers said. “High school is a time of development and change for teenagers, and I am excited to be here with them through this tough time.”