CHP Honors Scholarship Recipients, Donors at Reception

By Yavonda Chase

Fifty-one students were awarded scholarships, including nine who each received two awards.

More than $80,000 in scholarships were awarded — the largest amount ever for the college, said Douglas Murphy, Ph.D., the college’s dean.

“Just four years ago, CHP gave out slightly more than $32,000,” he said. “In four years, we’ve seen a 150 percent increase.”

Two endowed scholarships were awarded for the first time this year: The Dr. Herman Hammans Endowed Scholarship for Physician Assistants and the Carolyn and Howard Quittner, M.D., and Kelly R. Stewart, M.D., Endowed Scholarship in Laboratory Sciences.

Murphy also announced the formation of another endowed scholarship, the Jerry Michael Tuley Endowed Scholarship for the College of Health Professions, which will be awarded for the first time in 2017.

Claire Simpson, a student in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program, thanks the scholarship donors for their generosity.

Claire Simpson, a student in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program, thanks the scholarship donors for their generosity.

Claire Simpson, a student in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program and a recipient of the Ronald H. Winters, Ph.D. Endowed Scholarship and the Terry J. DuBose Endowed Scholarship, spoke on behalf of the scholarship recipients. She thanked the donors for their generosity and stressed that their gifts would have a lasting impact.

“Not only are you investing in us, you are investing in the communities we will eventually serve,” she said.

Winters, the former dean of the College of Health Professions, said the scholarship that bears his name was started by Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D., as a retirement gift. Many others, including Winters and his wife, have donated to the endowment over the years.

“I asked for a scholarship to be created because I wanted to give more people an opportunity for an education in the health professions,” he said. “It has always seemed to me that lack of money shouldn’t keep someone who is motivated, capable and qualified from getting an education. Scholarships offer a way for us to diminish that economic barrier as much as we can. Recipients, through their careers of service, will more than pay society back in many ways for this support.”

For Savannah Tillie, who received the Nuclear Medicine Imaging Sciences scholarship, the financial award “means I’m able to further my education.”

“I come from a family with a parent with a disability, so college wasn’t easy for me to get through,” she added. “These extra funds mean I’m able to pursue my dreams in my chosen career field.”

Tiffany Myers, a senior in the Dental Hygiene program who received the Ann Bowers Hurst Scholarship, agreed that the extra funds were an enormous help.

Tiffany Myers, (center) a senior in the Dental Hygiene program who received the Ann Bowers Hurst Scholarship, poses with members of the Hurst family and Douglas Murphy, Ph.D., (second from right) dean of the College of Health Professions.

Tiffany Myers, (center) a senior in the Dental Hygiene program who received the Ann Bowers Hurst Scholarship, poses with members of the Hurst family and Douglas Murphy, Ph.D., (second from right) dean of the College of Health Professions.

“By the time you’ve reached your senior year, you’ve accrued so much debt trying to pay for school,” she said. “Any scholarship — any kind of aid at all — helps with tuition and living expenses. A little really goes a long way.”

Kathryn Pannell, a daughter of Ann Bowers Hurst, said she’s glad that the scholarship that bears her mother’s name is helping others realize their dreams of becoming a dental hygienist.

“My mother loved what she did — every single day,” she said. “If somebody else out there has that passion, and my family can help them achieve their goals, we’re happy to be a part of that.”

Many students said the sense of accomplishment was the greatest part of receiving a scholarship.

“Winning these scholarships is really an honor,” said Juan Liu, a Medical Laboratory Sciences student who received the Walter S. Nunnelly Scholarship and the M. Gene Hall Endowed Scholarship. “It is more than the money — it is saying that I’m good at what I do.”

Eva Samayoa, a student in the Nuclear Medicine Imaging Sciences program who was awarded a General Fund scholarship, agreed.

“Just the thought that these people who don’t even know me are supporting my hopes and dreams is really encouraging,” she said. “Knowing that they believe in me is something that keeps me going.”