Introducing the first of our Winter Wonders 2022 Scholarship Winners
Despite two intense years of the pandemic and new variants in our midst, a handful of our scholarship winners are preparing to serve others in the healthcare and nursing fields. Join us as we welcome them!
Gabrielle Miller
Gabrielle Miller graduated last year with a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration. Yet her interest in different career opportunities has inspired her to enroll in two different educational programs this year, to open as many doors as possible.
This year she has enrolled in the Continuing Education Program of Product Management at Duke, a one-year certification program. Simultaneously, she is pursuing a nursing degree at Northwest Arkansas Community College, which she expects to complete in 2024.
Gabrielle is one of the 431 Exchange‘s Legacy Scholarship Winners. That is, both her Grandmother, Dorothy Payton (Class of 1969), and Great Aunt, Amelia Waters (Class of 1972), graduated from the Adult Education Center. They have been valuable role models for Gabrielle, so we know Gabrielle will develop a fulfilling career, just as they did!
Jewelli Wetherell
Raised in a small town, with a family that could hardly make ends meet, and where college wasn’t given much thought, the odds were stacked against Jewelli. Then just months before her high school graduation, she became pregnant. In spite of naysayers, Jewelli kept moving forward, enrolling in Central Texas College, working toward her Associates Degree in Nursing, and caring for her precious baby boy in their own place.
Early on in her program, Jewelli met her husband, marrying him 2 years later. She graduated as a Nurse in 2011. She said, “I now have 3 sons (ages 14, 10, and 3), my wonderful husband, and have been so blessed. I work full time,” Jewelli said, “as an ICU Nurse at the #1 hospital in Texas, and continue working toward my dreams, all while taking care of my family. I went from a negative statistic to a positive one, and I’ve only just begun.”
The 431 Exchange is delighted to give Jewelli a ‘hand up’ as she sets off to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. Her BSN degree will enable her to apply for the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Doctorate Program. “Becoming a CRNA has been a dream of mine for many years now,” Jewelli admits.
Leslie Rodgers
Leslie Rodger is heading toward the fourth year of her Doctor of Pharmacy, Certificate for Collaborative Leadership Program at Purdue University, highly motivated to provide valuable, if not exceptional service.
Passionate about her work, Leslie is keen on children, “focusing on sustaining and nurturing our most precious population, our future.” Their needs, she has learned, demand an acute sensitivity to details, patience, and tireless dedication to achieving results. She is also driven toward, “mastering a challenging area of practice that requires close collaboration with medical care teams, research, and experimental treatment options.” A broader goal of hers is, “to actively increase the diversity of the healthcare workforce in an effort to address health care disparities, whether racial, ethnic, or socio-economic.” The 431 Exchange is thrilled that its 2021 Winter Finalists like Leslie are so deeply focused on the needs of others. Not just an individual's needs, but the needs of the broader community.
Kelly Price
Kelly Price has made extraordinary use of her time since high school. She graduated from Galveston College in 2010 after earning her Associate of Applied Science – Healthcare Management degree, her AAS in Medical Office Administration, Medical Coding and Billing Certificate, and becoming a Certified Coder. She began her career at University of Texas Medical Branch as a Coder on the Surgical Coding Team and, for 11 years Kelly was consistently promoted, including her promotion to Manager of the Surgical Coding Team, a position she has held since 2017.
“This career field is what I want to do for the rest of my life,” Kelly said. “I am so excited to continue my education so I can grow within my career.” Specifically, Kelly’s goal is to become the Director with Revenue Cycle, eventually working into an Associate VP or VP position. Both require a Bachelor of Applied Science-Healthcare Management degree, which motivated her to enroll in her Alma Mater, Galveston College’s BAS-HCM program. Kelly adds, “The goals I have achieved have shown my 13-year-old daughter that anything is possible and hard work does truly pay off.”
Our scholarships continue to help adults who are absolutely committed to the education that holds the key to the future they envision. For many it has been a longtime dream, for others a fork in the road revealed a new and exciting path they had never imagined. Virtually all of them are challenged to leave the comfort zone they once relied on for new perspectives and connections. Essentially all the Finalists pursue their goals ‘despite all the odds.’