2014 BCHC Auxiliary Scholarship Winners
Scholarship Winners ceremony
The Buchanan County Health Center Auxiliary each year gives a number of $1,000 scholarships to students living in Buchanan County who are either currently in a human health care course of study at a college or are planning to enter this field. This year the auxiliary will be giving a total of $6,000 in scholarship money. This money is raised from the dues we all pay as members of the auxiliary and also from profits of sales at the Hospital gift shop, which is run totally by volunteers.
The auxiliary gives scholarships to one graduating senior from each of our 3 Buchanan County high schools. These students were chosen by the Dollars for Scholars committees at East Buchanan, Independence, and Jesup High Schools and these students were awarded their scholarships at their respective Dollars for Scholars ceremonies in May. Tonight we will be recognizing these outstanding winners of our scholarships. They are:
- Sarah TerHark was a student at East Buchanan School. Her grandparents Marilyn and John TerHark. Sarah will attend Upper Iowa University in the fall and will study athletic training with the hope of entering the physical therapy field. Sarah was a good student and good athlete at East Buchanan School.
- Abigail Bolton was a student at Independence High School. Her parents are Ann and Troy Bolton. Abby will be attending Kirkwood Community College in the fall as she studies Diagnostic Imaging. She plans to then attend at Mercy – St. Lukes where she will study to become an X-Ray technician. Abby was active in high school where she was a student council representative, played tennis and bowled, was in silver cord.
- Kayla Rummans was a student at Jesup High School. Her parents are Deb and Chris Rummans. This fall Kayla will be a student at the University of Iowa majoring in health and physiology with plans to enter the field of physical therapy. Kayla was an active athlete in high school but suffered injuries where she became familiar with the value of physical therapy. This enhanced her interest in the field.
In addition to our high school students, we are awarding scholarships to students who are either nontraditional students or students who are traditional students currently in college studying in a human health care field. This year we are awarding three students with $1,000 scholarships. These students are:
- MaKenna Barth is from Independence and is the daughter of Cathy and Doug Barth. She earned her associate degree from Hawkeye Community College and will begin the Radiography program at Allen Hospital in August. Makenna has been employed at Buchanan County Health Center for the past four years, and plans to continue her work at Long Term Care as she begins her study at Allen. Makenna has a great work ethic. She worked hard to excel in her coursework in order to be accepted into Allen’s School for Radiography. Makenna knows what she needs to do to be successful as she begins Allen.
- Michelle Ficken is from Independence and is working on her Master of Science degree in Nursing at Mount Mercy University. Michelle is a nurse clinician and nurse educator at the Mental Health Institute. Michelle is the instructor for associate degree RN students from Northeast Iowa and Hawkeye Community Colleges. Michelle also provides direct care to children and adolescent patients hospitalized at MHI and develop and implements staff in-service training to staff. Michelle is passionate about the future of healthcare and realizes healthcare is at a transformational time. Michelle is wife of Gene and is a mother and grandmother. Michelle has a wonderful work ethic and will use this scholarship well.
- Cara Miller is from Independence and is the daughter of Darla and David Miller. Cara is currently a student at Upper Iowa University working on her degree in biology and psychology. Cara hopes to become an occupational therapist for children with disabilities. Cara knew her interest was working with young children when she did an internship working with a 1st grade student. Cara has been involved in many activities at Upper Iowa, but knows that the key to her success is to be smarter and more engaged in her learning. Cara is a successful student and therefore a good choice for this scholarship.