In August 2022, 20-year-old Abbie Rutledge was pulled over for speeding by Alabama State Trooper J.T. Brown. During the stop, she told Brown she couldn't afford the ticket and felt stuck in a dead-end job as a driver for Coca Cola.
Officer Brown talked with her about career options. She mentioned that her mom is an instructor at the Surgical Tech Program at Bevill State. Abbie already had a certificate from that program.
He told her that if she liked it that she ought to pursue a career in nursing.
Brown issued a warning instead of a ticket. He wrote a message on the warning slip, encouraging her to go to nursing school and slow down. Abbie says J.T. was the right person at the right time. Numerous others had given her the same advice but God had to use an outsider to get her attention. She immediately started working toward her new goal, enrolled in a surgical technology program, and completed it two years later.
When her nursing graduation came of course she invited her family but also made sure to invite the Trooper who changed her life. "I wanted him to see the impression he made on me. Five minutes talking to anybody, even if you don't know them, can make the largest impact of their life. You never know when it could happen."
Now 22, Rutledge works as a surgical technician at the University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital.
J.T. says that Abbie has "made my entire career worth it"!