Radiologic Tech student honored with first Adrian Michael Hill Memorial Scholarship – Meridian Star
Published 6:36 pm Friday, September 19, 2025
By MCC Report
Meridian Community College student Macy Adams never thought the start of her final year of study in the Radiologic Technology Program would reveal a surprise that would help cover the cost of her education.
It would also connect deeply to her career goals.
Adams, 22, of Enterprise, is the first recipient of the Adrian Michael Hill Memorial Scholarship. This newly endowed scholarship, which is funded through the MCC Foundation, honors Hill, a nuclear medicine technologist for 22 years. Hill died earlier this year after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
In announcing the scholarship and the recipient during Adams’ class, Leia Hill, Adrian’s widow and the vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the MCC Foundation, shared a little about her husband.
“He absolutely loved what he did,” she said. “It has been so meaningful to hear from his patients and colleagues after his passing—so many spoke about how his kindness made a lasting difference in their lives. It’s a true testament to the person he was.”
Adrian wanted his legacy to continue helping people, and the scholarship is one way to do that. It is awarded to second-year students in the Radiologic Technology Program who show compassion, integrity and a commitment to helping others – qualities that reflected Adrian’s own life and work.
Adams, who is set to graduate in May, said her own health battles shaped her career goals.
“When I was younger, I had leukemia, and I wanted to give back,” she said. “I’m drawn to mammography or radiation therapy – areas that deal more with cancer.”
“I like that connection with the patient,” she said.
Going to school full-time, Adams also works part-time at Baptist Anderson Regional Medical Center as a student tech in radiology and admits, “This scholarship means so much. This is huge.”
MCC’s Radiological Technology Program consists of five consecutive semesters of training and is designed to prepare students for entry-level radiography.
In the spring, her diploma for her associate of applied science degree will have a different last name – Adams will marry Cooper Gallan in a ceremony in December. Gallan is an MCC alum who played on the Eagles Baseball team and is completing his basic training with the Air National Guard.
For more information, visit meridiancc.edu/foundation.
