Congratulations to Alyson Brooke Benfield, the recipient of the 2017 Meadows Surgical Arts Surgical Hope Foundation Scholarship for Habersham Central High School!
The Surgical Hope Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides outpatient surgical services at no cost to those in need. Founded by Dr. Lionel Meadows and his wife, Kathryn Meadows, RN, BSN, the Surgical Hope Foundation gives many patients the opportunity to fulfill their medical needs without the added burden of finances.
Each year, Dr. & Mrs. Meadows offer a scholarship to three graduating high school seniors to help fund their college endeavors. Each student must complete an essay describing their aspirations and goals in pursuing a medical career. This is Ms. Benfield's essay:
I wish to pursue Nursing in college. My goal is to become a Nurse Practitioner with either my Master's or Doctorate in Nursing in General Family Medicine. My educational pathway includes attending North Georgia Technical College in Fall of 2017, where I will earn my Associate's Degree in Nursing and become a Registered Nurse. Immediately after earning credentials as a Registered Nurse, I will begin working in order to gain experience, building my experience for my application to graduate school. From there, I will attend University of North Georgia in their RN to BSN program, earn my Bachelor's, then continue my education at UNG in their Family Nurse Practitioner Program where I will obtain my Master's. I have chosen this career because I believe it will provide a challenging, yet rewarding daily work load that will encourage my personal growth, cognitively and spiritually, as I learn to better serve others and work to maintain the health of my community.
Because of my aforementioned career pathway, I believe I am worthy of being the recipient of the Meadows Surgical Arts Surgical Hope Foundation Scholarship for Habersham Central High School, which will allow me the funds to maintain my rigorous educational journey and ensure that the scholarship award will be used efficiently and positively, as it will be reimbursed into the community through public health services. As previously stated, I will be attending school for several years and have attempted to formulate the best academic pathway that is financially feasible and will allow me the tremendous quality of nursing education for which North Georgia Technical College and University of North Georgia are renowned. However, those several years of higher education are costly, especially when factoring in the price of courses, textbooks, various fees, and nursing equipment and uniforms. Graduate education comes at an even greater expense, and I would sincerely appreciate any aid that will allow alleviation from the aforementioned expenses and potential student loans. Furthermore, the assuredness that my goals will be achieved can be solidified in my rank as 1 out of 425, as noted in my transcript, which exemplifies my qualities of diligence, perseverance, and achievement that has required immense devotion over the course of my high school career which will provide the means of myself being able to maintain my rigorous course load, as I am already well-experienced in high rigor through AP and Dual Enrollment courses.
I have been involved in the community through various utilizations over the course of my life so far. I am a member of Level Grove Baptist Church in Cornelia, GA. In grades seven and eight, I was a member of a community service and faith-based organization named Y-Club. My club and I participated in outdoor projects for Hilliard A. Wilbanks Middle School that involved landscaping and gardening, general cleanup, recycling, and devotions. Additionally, I was a cheerleader in the Habersham County School System for nine seasons, spanning throughout my middle and high school careers, in which the last three of those seasons were carried out on Varsity Level. Finally, I am employed at Ethicon in Cornelia, GA, which is a company of Johnson & Johnson, a major medical supply company. Through my employment at Ethicon, I have gained tremendous experience in the medical field, as I am allowed to witness and facilitate in the production of medical products that allow for surgeons, doctors, and nurses to provide health care for patients. The aforementioned description of my community involvement is not exhaustive, as I have yet to begin another educational endeavor that will provide the means to expand my participation in assisting my community by being able to provide direct and efficient, yet compassionate, medical care to fellow citizens.
I am a highly-motivated, compassionate, and sincere individual who enjoys serving the Lord through serving others and bringing happiness to those who surround me, striving to do everything with my greatest capability in order to produce excellence in all areas of life.
Thank you for your consideration.
We would like to congratulate Ms. Benfield on her achievements, and wish her the very best in her future scholastic and career endeavors.
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