Thanks to the generosity of Brenau University benefactors Doug and Kay Ivester, six students are one step closer to changing lives in the health care industry.
The Kay and Douglas Ivester Scholarship, awarded annually, goes to deserving, first-generation undergraduate students in the Ivester College of Health Sciences who are residents of Hall County. It is funded by Kay and Doug Ivester, a member of the Board of Trustees, both of whom are natives of the county and still reside in northeast Georgia.
Mikayla Shockley, a freshman pre-nursing major from Lula, said she is thankful for the help managing tuition costs.
“Paying for college can be tremendously stressful, so it helps,” she said. “The Ivester Scholarship is helping me achieve my first goal in life of earning my nursing degree so I can obtain a job in the ICU at Emory Hospital. I plan to go back to school when I am ready to receive my master’s degree in anesthetics, so I can become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist.”
Joanna Razo, a biology major from Gainesville, said the scholarship is her first step toward a new health science program at Brenau.
“I am very thankful to be one of the recipients of the Ivester Scholarship,” Razo said. “With this scholarship, I will continue to work hard and get my bachelor’s degree in biology. After I get my bachelor’s degree, I hope to be accepted into the upcoming physician assistant program.”
The Ivester College of Health Sciences recently took its first step toward building the program by hiring Chair of Physician Assistant Studies Julie Keena. Pending accreditation from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, the college expects to begin PA studies in January 2021.
Ross Logan, a freshman pre-nursing major from Flowery Branch, said he hopes the scholarship will help him achieve a truly lifelong aspiration of becoming a cardiologist.
“The Ivester Scholarship means a lot to me,” Logan said. “The health field is a strong field that I have been passionate about since I was young. Since I was 6, I always wanted to be a cardiologist — a heart specialist — and minor in nursing and athletic training. I have wanted to be a cardiologist for such a long time, and once my mind is set, it is set. So it is my genuine honor to receive this scholarship.”
The full list of recipients of the Kay and Douglas Ivester Scholarship:
Madison Cronic, exercise science major
Ross Logan, pre-nursing health science major
Nafuraha Nyamuteto, pre-nursing health science major
Joanna Razo, biology major on a pre-physician assistant track
Mikayla Santana Shockley, pre-nursing health science major
Skyla McKaye Wagoner, psychology major
http://accesswdun.com/article/2019/9/835561/six-brenau-students-awarded-kay-and-douglas-ivester-scholarships-this-year