Oaklawn Foundation rewards students
The Oaklawn Foundation will present $360,000 in scholarships today to the latest class of 118 local recipients.
Available recipients will be recognized during a ceremony at 9 a.m. in the Dr. Martin Eisele Auditorium of the Frederick M. Dierks Center for Nursing and Health Sciences on the National Park College campus. Recipients include students from all seven public school districts in Garland County, as well as Gospel Light Christian School graduates and homeschooled students.
Eligibility is only based on residency
in Garland County and enrollment in any two-year college or fouryear university. Past recipients are encouraged to reapply and benefit from the program throughout their higher education.
Gail Carmon expressed her appreciation of the program in helping her pursue her education while she continues to work. Carmon is a nontraditional student in the Health Information Technology program at NPC, where she is also an information systems analyst.
“I am a current recipient of the Oaklawn scholarship and if it were not for the help of this scholarship, I would not have been able to complete this first year,” Carmon said. “Thank you for supporting students with this scholarship program. I would like for the committee to know that when I set out to complete something, I give it my complete devotion.”
The 2017 class includes students who emigrated from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cameroon, El Salvador, Mexico and Romania. Yoselin Canas-Ramos explained her path from El Salvador to college in her application.
Canas-Ramos graduated from high school in 2003 and started classes at the University of El Salvador in the capital city of San Salvador to become a doctor, but her family could not afford it. She learned to speak English to speak to residents at the West Shores Senior Living Community after moving to the United States less than two years ago. She earned an Arkansas High School Diploma through General Educational Development testing, enrolled at NPC and plans to become a nurse.
“Being a nurse is more than having knowledge,” Canas-Ramos wrote. “It is dedication and a true vocation to help sick people. The most rewarding thing about being a nurse is not the salary, but how good it feels to help and relieve others.”
A number of recipients describe how personal events inspired them to pursue nursing careers. Vanessa Mattox, a 2016 Lake Hamilton High School graduate, said she was inspired by the “tireless, compassionate care” provided by her grandfather’s nurses before his death in 2013.
Robin Newcomer enrolled in college for the first time in 2016 after her husband of 30 years died following a brief battle with a hereditary form of stomach cancer. She said she plans to work in oncology to assist others dealing with cancer. Newcomer has maintained a 3.85 grade-point average and is a member of the college’s Alpha Beta Psi chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa international honor society.
“I work hard to show my kids and grandkids it is never too late to chase a dream and to not let major losses in life knock you down.,” Newcomer said.
Financial need, community service or school participation, and ability to succeed are the primary factors considered by the foundation’s scholarship committee. Several recipients detailed obstacles they overcame to pursue their education.
Aaron Fuhrman is a member of the now two-time defending Class 5A state champion Hot Springs Trojans soccer team despite requiring surgery for kyphosis, a form of scoliosis, which refers to exaggerated rounding of the back. He said he plans to earn a business degree in college and manage his own landscaping company.
Abbie Beaver applied two years ago to graduate from Jessieville High School a year early and she graduated from NPC this month at the age of 18. She pursued the accelerated track due to her mother’s declining health. Beaver said she plans to continue to work at the Garland County Library and transfer to Henderson State University in Arkadelphia.
Jessica Russell said she sustained major injuries from domestic violence in 2011 and required 35 surgeries. She spent a year in a wheelchair and questioned whether she would ever walk again. Russell graduated from NPC this month and has been accepted into the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s School of Social Work.
“I want to work right here in our community and I want to help anyone and everyone that I can,” Russell wrote. “I want to help victims of domestic violence, abuse victims young and old, homelessness, hunger, and help support and improve our community in any way possible.
“I want to make an investment into the community that made an investment in me. The police, paramedics, firefighters, detectives, prosecutors, victim’s assistance, the court system and the counseling services of this great town rallied around me, and I want to do the same for the people in our town.”
The Oaklawn Foundation’s scholarships are the only awards of their kind available for students in master’s and doctorate-level programs. The opportunity is utilized by many members of the faculty and staff of area schools.
Hot Springs dance teacher Amy Bramlett-Turner said she plans to use her scholarship to attend a summer program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Erika Cross, family outreach coordinator for the Hot Springs School District, is pursuing a Doctorate of Philosophy in General Psychology with an emphasis in Human Performance from Grand Canyon University.
Lake Hamilton Junior High English teacher Ashley Kincannon is currently pursuing an Educational Specialist in Curriculum at Henderson with plans to pursue a doctorate in curriculum leadership. Kincannon was among 25 young educators to receive scholarships in February to attend the National Education Association’s National Leadership Summit in Florida.
“Obtaining this Ed.S. will enable me to make a greater impact on my students and other education,” Kincannon wrote. “My ultimate goal in life is to inspire others by sharing my story.”
The scholarship rewards also highlight the ambition of many applicants. NPC student Jeremi Owen said his dream is to own a chain of coffee shops sustained by a coffee farm overseas where victims of human trafficking can seek refuge and receive basic education.
Lake Hamilton graduate Keanna Peck’s resume includes internships with the Garland County Juvenile Court and in U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman’s office. She plans to take on a new summer internship this year with a law firm in Fayetteville, Arkadelphia or Hot Springs.
Peck was a student ambassador for NPC and graduated this month. She said she plans to earn a degree in political science from Henderson, complete law school, work with a family law firm and become a juvenile judge, legal investigator or work in the political realm.
“I know with my degree, I will be able to stand up for millions of children and families around the world who feel alone,” Peck wrote. “I know I will be able to help end the growing injustices in the world. I know I am not the only one with this dream or vision. I hope that I can find people just like me with the same goals to help those who feel like their voices are no longer being heard.”