Lions Club awards scholarship to rising senior at USC Aiken 6/20/2009 12:09 AM
By ROB NOVIT Senior writer
The scholarship that the Mid Day Lions Club has established for USC Aiken's School of Nursing is the latest project the organization has provided for the department.
Club members had donated vision goggles to the nursing program in the past. When they started thinking about scholarships, "we felt compelled to work with USCA," said Brenda Quick, a Lions Club past president who chaired the scholarship committee. "They told us they had a lot of juniors that could use the financial help."
Club members met with several outstanding candidates, and rising senior Kayla Butler was selected for the $1,000 scholarship.
"She was our first choice, far and away," Quick said.
Dr. Julia Ball, the School of Nursing dean, praised Butler as one of the department's best and brightest.
"She's an honor student and won the university's 'inclusion award' for encouraging diversity on our campus," said Ball, who received the same award at the faculty level.
Butler said she has always been interested in the medical field, and one of her professors encouraged her to go into nursing. This summer she is working at the Veterans Administration hospital in Columbia. During the school year she is associated with the USCA's intercultural office and believes that experience contributed to her selection for the inclusion award.
"It's certainly an honor, just like this scholarship is," said Butler. "With tuition increasing and with other things I need to take care of, this scholarship will definitely help."
The Lions Club also provided $750 scholarships to two recent high school graduates - Avery Hensley of Midland Valley High School and Bethany Matthews of Ridge Spring-Monetta High School.
It's always impressive to see a civic club like Mid Day Lions take responsibly for needs within the community, said USCA Chancellor Dr. Tom Hallman.
"This club does a number of things, and we're proud to be a part of their outreach," he said.
Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.
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