MCC student earns statewide nursing scholarship
Jessica Wells, a nursing student at Meridian Community College, has received a $1,000 scholarship from the Mississippi Nurses Foundation.
Wells, 34, of Meridian, is working toward her Associate Degree in Nursing and plans to graduate in December. She said the scholarship was unexpected but welcomed. “I’m very thankful; this was such a surprise,” Wells said.
The Mississippi Nurses Foundation awards scholarships each spring and fall to nursing students across the state, and recipients are selected with the help of faculty from each school. The program is funded by donations and proceeds from the foundation’s sale of Nurses Car Tag license plates.
Wells said she has always wanted to help others and was inspired by her now deceased grandmother, who was a registered nurse. “She wanted me to go to nursing school, but I didn’t have the confidence back then,” Wells said. “I hope now I’m making her proud.”
Wells has worked for eight years as a certified nursing assistant at a local nursing home. Encouraged by coworkers, she decided to return to school and become a nurse. After graduation, Wells hopes to work in either emergency or psychiatric care.
“Nursing isn’t just about the physical part,” Wells said. “It’s also about the mental side. Sometimes people just need someone to talk to.”
For more information about MCC’s nursing program, visit meridiancc.edu/nursing.