By MARVA HALTON
Student Reporter
Two scholarships for the 2014-2015 school year were presented to two senior nursing students.
Lori Messenger of Woodward Regional Hospital Auxiliary presented the awards to Taylor Mathes and Mariah Harmon. Each received a $3,300 scholarship to use towards tuition.
Both students have attended the Northwestern Nursing program for several years. Harmon said, “There is a lot of professional people in the Woodward community, and they all had really nice things to say about the program.” She said that heavily influenced her decision to choose Northwestern’s nursing program.
Harmon, 30, is a senior nursing student at NWOSU and a Woodward native. She said she always wanted to be a nurse because “I’ve always loved science and learning new things.”
She finished the LPN program first in 2012 and then attended the RN program in the 2013 school year. Harmon has already worked in several different areas at the Woodward Regional Hospital, including the critical care unit, med surge, and the E.R. She plans to obtain her master’s degree through Northwestern and work in the critical care setting in Woodward. While in school, Harmon has been involved in the Academic Affairs Committee and National Students Nurses Association.
”NWOSU is great; it has always given me a feeling of family,” she said.
Mathes, 19, also is a senior nursing student at NWOSU in Woodward. A native of Wichita, Kans., she heard about the NWOSU nursing program from her older sister, who was a year ahead of her. She said she feels that her sister had some influence in shaping her decision to join the program and become a nurse. Mathes has already worked as a certified nurse assistant in Anthony, Kans., and Woodward for more than three years. As soon as she graduates from the program with her bachelor’s degree she plans to start working in the Woodward Regional Hospital, either as an O.B. or neonatal nurse and possibly in the intensive care unit. She said she would even consider becoming a traveling nurse.
Mathes said some of her favorite memories from being at NWOSU are driving back and forth to clinicals and class.
As soon as Mathes completes her RN degree, she plans to obtain her master’s degree. Mathes has been involved in Presidents Leadership Class, Caring and Cross Cultures conferences and NSNA.