Page 134 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2025

RISING
ABOVE
How Abby Welborn Turns Adversity into Leadership at MGCCC
story and photo courtesy of MGCCC
For most college students, balancing academics, clinical rotations, and work is challenging enough. For Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Radiologic Technology student Abby Welborn, those demands come with the added challenge of living with a disability—a challenge she’s turned into a source of strength, determination, and inspiration.
Welborn, of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, was born with a severe clubfoot and spent her childhood in and out of hospitals. At age 11, her right foot was amputated, and she began walking with a prosthetic leg. Far from slowing her down, the experience fueled a lifelong desire to work in healthcare—particularly with women and children, where she hopes to make her younger self proud.
Her path to MGCCC wasn’t direct. She first attended the University of South Alabama, changing majors several times while searching for the right fit. “My mental health started to suffer, so I came back home,” Welborn recalls. Enrolling at MGCCC, she discovered the Radiologic Technology program through her aunt. “It’s been the best decision I’ve made,” she says.
Clinical rotations can be physically demanding, but Welborn has learned the importance of self-advocacy. “I have to speak up for myself, and it’s okay if my body needs a break,” she explains. On busy days, classmates and instructors check in to make sure she’s not pushing past her limits. This teamwork and support
have reinforced her drive to prove herself through her work ethic, not her disability.
Her favorite rotation so far has been in surgery, where she was thrilled to discover that x-ray techs play an important role in the operating room. She also works as a CT Tech Intern at Singing River Pascagoula, gaining valuable hands-on experience that she’ll carry into her future career.
Her leadership extends beyond the classroom. As a member of MGCCC’s X-Ray Club, she has helped organize fundraisers for community causes, including the Jackson County Animal Shelter. She’s also the proud recipient of the Bradley Emmett Bustin Scholarship and the Dr. Ottis G. Ball Scholarship, which have eased her financial burdens.
She hopes her story encourages other students with disabilities to pursue their goals without hesitation. “Everyone deserves access to education, and MGCCC has proved to me that they can make that possible,” she says.
For Welborn, the moments that confirm she’s on the right path are powerful—like the first time she independently positioned and scanned a stroke patient, playing a key role in a life-or-death diagnosis. “It was a real moment of ‘okay, I can do this.’”
Her advice to others is simple but hard-earned: “You are able to do anything you put your mind to. There’s always a helping hand when you need it.”
134 | September 2025
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