Alani Crawford is building her future at Beaufort Memorial
In many ways, Alani Crawford is an average 19-year-old.
She loves shopping, music and movies, and has a girly streak: collecting makeup, perfume and gravitating toward all things pink. The ambitious teen, however, is anything but average.
Alani spent her high school years challenging herself, breaking track and field records and loading her schedule with community service, clubs and other extracurricular activities.
She graduated with a full-time job lined up at Beaufort Memorial, and she says her journey with the organization has only just begun.
A Taste for Healthcare
As tempting as it is for a teenager to lay around “bedrotting” (Gen Z slang for lounging around in bed), Alani said she has always been a go-getter.
“I’ve been booked and busy since, well, forever,” she said. “I don’t remember the last time I had a free period; I always have to be doing something.”
In high school, Alani was a cheerleader, a tennis player, a track and cross-country superstar, a leadership ambassador and president of the “Ladies First” club at Whale Branch Early College, as well as vice-president of her school’s branch of HOSA-Future Health Professionals.
That interest in healthcare brought her to Beaufort Memorial through the Rising Star Youth Volunteer Program in June 2024, giving her a taste for what it might be like to work in a hospital right in her community.
“I saw flyers and thought, ‘I want to work at Beaufort Memorial. How do I get in there?’” she recalled. “It was an entry-level way to get my foot in the door.”
The two-week program, which allows high school volunteers to experience different career areas within the main hospital, shed new light on the healthcare profession, Alani said.
“It was a big eye-opener to go from roaming the hallways in high school, talking with friends and going to class, to a place where people are saving patients’ lives,” she remembered.
During her senior year, Alani was one of the inaugural high school students who entered the Beaufort Memorial PATH (People Achieving their Highest) program as part of the health system’s partnership with the Beaufort County School District.
After her cohort completed the PATH program, five graduates, including Alani, accepted jobs at Beaufort Memorial.
By the time she received her high school diploma in May 2025, Alani had not only a job but, thanks to dual enrollment opportunities with Technical College of the Lowcountry, a completed associate’s degree of both Science and Arts.
“It’s great to go off to college and have fun,” she said, “but I’ve found that with Beaufort Memorial, there are some really good opportunities right here, and I’m in a really good place.”
She’s now a certified patient care technician (CPCT) on 3T.
“It felt really good to know that I had a job secured before I graduated,” Alani said. “Knowing that the PATH program supports you each step of the way was really reassuring.”
Support From All Sides
Alani always shows up to her night shift on 3T with a smile on her face and a positive mindset. Her team on the floor is very close-knit and she has found a strong support system there.
She’s the “baby” of the floor, she added with a laugh.
“All of the nurses I work with are always willing to help and teach me,” Alani said. “Teamwork is huge on our floor. I really feel like I belong here.” Beaufort Memorial 3T is the pediatric and med surg floor, and Alani spends her shifts rounding on patients, checking vitals and helping with ADLs (“activities of daily living” like bathing, going to the bathroom and eating). She’s always inspired while watching the physicians and nurses work together and has learned strategies to manage stress during high-intensity situations.
Having the support of her team helps, she said.
“When you’re as close as we are, it makes stressful moments easier to deal with,” she said. “You start to get used to it and learn to be calm and think critically – like a nurse.”
While her work family inspires her constantly, her support system also has a critical component cheering her on from home: her mom, Latessa, has supported her through everything and is her best friend.
Her faith is also key: “I’m a strong Believer,” she said, “so I just pray before I come to work and hope I have a good night – and most of the time, I do.”
What’s Next?
Spring 2026 marks a year that Alani has been officially on the Beaufort Memorial staff, but she doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon. She’s currently enrolled at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort and has her sights set on nursing, thanks in part to her inspiring team on 3T. “I’m very grateful to God for giving me this opportunity,” she said. “I want to thank my mom, all of my PATH instructors, and I’m grateful for all the nurses I work with, because I learn from them every day and aspire to be like them.”
When she gets her license, she wants to contribute to 3T as a nurse on the floor.
“I want to keep climbing the ladder,” she said. “After that, maybe a nurse practitioner. I want to keep going back to school. Maybe I’ll even be a director or a doctor here one day…who knows?”
Learn more about career growth through the Beaufort Memorial PATH program or explore current job openings.