WellSky invests in the next generation of healthcare professionals
In 2011, WellSky partnered with the Austin Community College Foundation to establish an endowment of $1 million to provide scholarships to students earning an associate’s degree in nursing or licensed vocational nursing certificate.
To date, more than 300 scholarships—more than $762,000—have been awarded to ACC students, with more to be donated over the next five years. The impact of these scholarships is clearly seen in the comments WellSky has received directly from students. Here’s what they had to say.
AN NGUYEN
Award Period: Fall 2021/Spring 2022
An Nguyen is a first-generation college student pursuing a career in nursing at Austin Community College. When she was 2 years old, she immigrated from Vietnam to the United States with her parents. She hopes to work in either labor and delivery, NICU, or PICU, but is keeping her options open. In her free time, An loves to bake, hike, rock climb, and give back to the community by volunteering.
A Note of Thanks…
I feel so incredibly blessed to have received this scholarship, and there are no words that can even begin to express how grateful I am. When I received the email notification that I have been awarded this, it fully brought me to tears and the first person that I called was my dad. It was the first time that I’ve ever heard him cry out of happiness and the first thing he said to me was, “I can’t be more proud of you. I love you.” As my father has not always been the most affectionate person in the world, these words held so much meaning to me. Thank you for contributing towards my dream. You have changed my life and I hope to do the same for others as you have done for me.
SAMANTHA MACIAS
Award Period: Fall 2021/Spring 2022
Samantha Macias is enrolled in the RN program at ACC. She is originally from El Paso and moved to central Texas about five years ago. She worked as a pediatric nurse for a year and says she loved every moment of it. She would like to work in pediatrics right after graduation.
A Note of Thanks…
Where do I begin? Thank you is not enough to show how grateful I am for this opportunity. This has saved me much stress and has been able to ease the first day back to school. I am very grateful for receiving this opportunity. There is nothing I want more than to become an RN. I have been able to shadow RNs and help RNs, and I am confident I will succeed in the program. I look forward to the future, and I will work hard to show those who have supported me and helped me along the way that it is possible. I will be the first healthcare worker as an RN in my family, which means so much to me and my family. Thank you so much.
DANIEL JONES
Award Period: Fall 2021/Spring 2022
Daniel took a career aptitude test in elementary school that showed him he was well suited for medicine. But his dreams of working in the medical field were put on hold after a difficult adolescence. He enrolled in college as a math major and became a teacher. But his dream of working in healthcare never disappeared. “It became harder to tell my students to pursue their dreams at all costs while I had yet to pursue my interest in medicine,” he says. Now he has returned to ACC to become a nurse and pursue his life-long dream. He is eager to learn, grow, and fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a nurse.
A Note of Thanks…
Thank you! Thank you to every donor who has made this scholarship opportunity a reality for me. This scholarship will allow me to return to ACC to become a nurse and pursue my life-long dream of enhancing my patients’ overall quality of life. Currently, I help financially support my grandmother (a mother whose calling was to stay at home and raise her seven beloved children and who lost her husband five years ago) and my mother (who was unemployed for a large portion of the pandemic). Moreover, from paying for textbooks to paying for nursing courses, this scholarship will serve as a much-needed source of relief so that I can focus less on financial hardships and focus more on my course work. Thank you!
ANDROMEDA VEGA
Award Period: Fall 2021/Spring 2022
Andromeda Vega is a first-generation Texan and the first in her family to attend college. She graduated from Austin Community College’s vocational nursing program in December 2020 and is now enrolled in ACC’s LVN to RN program with an expected graduation in December 2022. After graduation Andromeda plans to work as a pediatric nurse or in public health. She would like to eventually earn a master’s degree in public health.
A Note of Thanks…
Thank you WellSky for choosing to invest in my college education to become a professional nurse. Nursing has always been a dream of mine and with the provided funds I will be able to accomplish this. It’s uplifting to know that I have your financial support to help make my dreams reality, I cannot THANK YOU enough.
ALYSSA WISSON
Award Period: Fall 2021/Spring 2022
Alyssa Wisson will graduate from ACC in May 2023 with an associate’s degree in nursing and pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing afterward. She began working in healthcare when she was 18 years old. Alyssa says working toward her goals in life has never been easy, but she refuses to let anything get in her way.
A Note of Thanks…
Today I received notification that I am awarded a $2,500 scholarship. I am deeply moved and honored to have been chosen as one of the recipients. I am so excited to start my journey in the nursing field as it has always been a huge dream of mine since I was young. This scholarship will be able to help me achieve and reach my goals for the next two semesters. It has been a very difficult and stressful time due to COVID, and this will help alleviate my stress. The entire journey leading up to this point has been very long, and I have struggled multiple times but never gave up. Receiving this award motivates me even that much more to keep moving forward with my head held high. I will never be able to find enough words to say thank you but just know this means so much to me.
Workforce shortages are being felt across the healthcare industry. WellSky is thrilled to contribute to the next generation of professionals interested in entering the nursing field and to develop solutions that will help to address this critical issue.