Six Franklin County high school graduates have been awarded $2,500 scholarships to pursue careers in nursing, according to an announcement from the Franklin County Commissioners.
The recipients of the 2025 Franklin County Nursing Scholarship are Brooklyn Baxter, Cameron Bender, Kate Flynn, Lillian Henry, Masalyna Miller and Samantha West. The scholarships are funded by proceeds from the 2013 sale of the county nursing home.
Baxter and Flynn are graduates of Greencastle-Antrim High School. Baxter will attend James Madison University, while Flynn will attend Penn State University. Bender, a graduate of Chambersburg Area High School, will also attend Penn State University. Henry, who graduated from Mason Dixon Homeschoolers Association, and Miller, a Greencastle-Antrim graduate, will both attend Wilson College. West, a graduate of Shalom Christian Academy, will attend Huntington University.
The scholarship program, which began in 2017, has provided financial assistance to 54 Franklin County high school seniors pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
“As commissioners, we’re pleased any time we can lend students a helping hand as they move forward with their future plans and future careers,” Franklin County Commissioner Chairman Dean Horst said in the announcement. “Nursing is a noble profession that requires a special type of individual, and we couldn’t be prouder of this year’s recipients for choosing to enter that field. Our region continues to see a need for skilled nurses, so we hope that these scholarships will help these graduates gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed as well as encourage them to return home to care for their communities once they’ve completed their training.”
Applicants for the scholarship must submit an essay indicating their short- and long-term goals pertaining to nursing school, along with a scholarship application, an official high school transcript and three letters of reference, including one from their high school guidance counselors. Students must have a minimum GPA, participate in both extracurricular and community service activities, and demonstrate a financial need for the scholarship.
Elyse Fisler, vice president of patient services and chief nursing officer for WellSpan’s Chambersburg Hospital, and Monica Diehl, Keystone Health chief nursing officer, assisted the Franklin County Human Resources department in selecting this year’s recipients. There were 13 applicants for the 2025 scholarship.
Applications for the Franklin County Nursing Scholarship are available in the first quarter of each year. For more information, contact the Franklin County Human Resources Department at 717-261-3150 or go to franklincountypa.gov.
This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at https://cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.
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