Hillsdale Hospital awards $100K in tuition assistance to nursing students
HILLSDALE — At its board of trustees meeting last week, Hillsdale Hospital recognized the 2023 recipients of its Future of Nursing Academic Assistance Program.
June Best and Raine Calaway were selected to each receive tuition assistance of up to $10,000 per year for five years as they pursue their nursing education. They were selected after completing an application and interview process.
“We are thrilled to have June and Raine as our 2023 Future of Nursing recipients,” Meghan Campbell, chief nursing officer, said in a news release. “They join our legacy of talented students who have been recipients of this program in the past and are now serving our community as dedicated, caring, highly-skilled nurses at Hillsdale Hospital.”
Recipients of the Future of Nursing Academic Assistance Program commit to working at Hillsdale Hospital upon completion of their Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), along with their nursing license. For every year of tuition assistance received, the recipient commits to serve one year as a Hillsdale Hospital employee.
“We love to develop and grow our own, supporting the education and future career of Hillsdale County graduates in this rewarding field,” Campbell said.
Best graduated from Camden-Frontier High School on May 21 and will attend Jackson College in the fall studying nursing. During her high school career, Best played multiple sports and was honored as the most valuable player for basketball both her junior and senior years. She was a member of the student council, National Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society. She also became a certified nursing assistant in 2022.
“Growing up in a very adverse environment showed me that I wanted more for myself than what I was surrounded by,” Best said in her application essay. “Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to have a job within the healthcare field.”
Calaway also graduated from Camden-Frontier and is pursuing her nursing education at Jackson College this fall. Calaway served as treasurer of the Country Kids 4-H Club in 2018 and participated in Camden-Frontier FFA throughout her high school career. She was also a member of the National Honor Society, National Technical Honor Society and the Cambria Baptist Church youth group.
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“I started my life here on this earth at Hillsdale Hospital, as did many of my closest family members,” Calaway said in her application essay. “As rural hospitals around the country are being absorbed by larger corporations, Hillsdale Hospital is staying strong. I admire Hillsdale Hospital's dedication to the community and its desire to continue to improve the quality of the health care available to the members of our local community.”
Best and Calaway were notified of their scholarship awards on May 4 when Hillsdale Hospital Chief Administrative Officer Stacy Feltz and Education and Development Coordinator Mary Carpenter surprised them with “Future RN” yard signs during their personal finance class at Camden-Frontier High School.
For the past 22 years, Hillsdale Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to higher education with the Future of Nursing program. Since 2001, the hospital has awarded academic assistance to more than 55 students and paid for more than $3 million in tuition.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Hillsdale Hospital awards $100K in tuition aid to nursing students
