MCC nursing student receives Mississippi Nurses Foundation Scholarship
Evyn McDaniel grew up around nurses, but for years, she was sure she did not want to become one.
McDaniel, 24, of Kemper County, first came to Meridian Community College after high school and took general education classes. But she couldn’t find a career path that felt right. “I didn’t really know what exactly I wanted to do, and I didn’t want to waste my time and money,” she said.
So, she stepped away from college until she was ready. 
After becoming a mother, McDaniel began to see nursing differently. Caring for others was already part of her daily life, and she began to wonder if the career she had once ruled out might be the one meant for her.
After she entered MCC’s Associate Degree Nursing program, McDaniel found out she was right.
“Actually, getting into it and doing it, I love it,” she said. “I didn’t expect to love it, but I did.”
Her mother, grandmother and aunt all attended Meridian Community College’s nursing program. Their photos were displayed on the walls in the College’s Riley Health Center, and McDaniel remembers walking through the building during her first semester in nursing school, taking pictures of them.
As she’s nearing the completion of her nursing studies at MCC, McDaniel was surprised with an honor. The fourth-semester nursing student was awarded a $1,000 Mississippi Nurses Foundation Scholarship while she and her classmates were reviewing for the NCLEX, the national exam nursing graduates must pass to become licensed nurses.
The Mississippi Nurses Foundation Scholarship recognizes nursing students who show strong skills and a commitment to making a difference in patients’ lives. The foundation supports nursing education and better health care in Mississippi through programs such as the Nurses Car Tag program.
Dr. Lara Collum, MCC associate vice president of nursing and health care education, presented the award to McDaniel in front of her classmates.
“As a school of nursing, we get to submit a name each year, and the foundation sends a $1,000 scholarship to the person who we selected,” Dr. Collum said.
For McDaniel, the moment was unexpected.
“I’m just shocked and grateful,” she said.
McDaniel said her family has helped make her nursing journey possible. Her husband, Heath, has supported her throughout school, giving her time to study and complete clinical work. She also credits Heath’s grandmother, a retired nurse, with encouraging her to return to school and helping care for the couple’s sons, Maverick and Samuel.
“She is a godsend,” McDaniel said. “I wouldn’t have been able to have done this at all without her.”
McDaniel plans to begin her career in medical-surgical nursing, but she hopes to work in the emergency room one day. At first, the ER seemed like the last place she would want to be. But after working as a nurse intern through Ochsner Rush and spending time in the ER in organization’s DeKalb healthcare campus, McDaniel discovered she enjoyed the pace and variety. “You see a bunch of different people and a bunch of different things,” she said. “It’s never the same thing.”
As graduation nears, McDaniel is focused on finishing strong, passing the NCLEX and beginning her nursing career. She said she may continue her education in the future, but her main goal now is to build a career she loves while being present for her family.
For someone who once said she would never become a nurse, McDaniel said the journey has been a surprise.
And it has become the right one.
For more information, visit meridiancc.edu/nursing.