UAPB Alumna Awards Scholarship to UAPB Nursing Student – UAPB News
Haley Franklin, a native of Scott, Arkansas, graduated debt-free from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a 3.74 GPA. Her journey reflects resilience, faith, and a family legacy of caregiving.
Franklin also began her legacy of giving back by launching the Heart to Heal Nursing Scholarship, with the goal of awarding it to a deserving nursing student in Arkansas. She and her parents, Eric and Erika Franklin, came to the UAPB campus in September to present $500 to Jaylia Knight, a junior Nursing student at UAPB.
Knight was joined by other junior Nursing students, including Marc William Guelache, Dennis Joshua Samuel, Cherish Hampton, and Inertia Mugethi. Prior to the selection, each was anxiously waiting to see who would win the scholarship.
Pictured above: University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Nursing students include (from left to right) Jaylia Knight, Marc William Guelache, Dennis Joshua Samuel, Cherish Hampton and Inertia Mugethi. Jaylia Knight (right with check), a junior Nursing student at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), received the Heart to Heal Scholarship from Haley Franklin (left with check).
Haley Franklin said that choosing the recipient was a “hard decision because everyone’s story was touching.” She shared that her goal was to provide a bit of help because “Nursing school is expensive.”
A psychiatric nurse at Baptist Health in Little Rock, Arkansas, Haley Franklin, provides compassionate care while advocating for mental health awareness. Her nursing path was shaped by prior work at Arkansas Children’s Hospital as a patient care technician and a traveling certified nursing assistant (CNA) for A Place at Home, both located in Little Rock.
Nursing runs deep in her family: Haley Franklin’s grandmothers were CNAs. Her older sister, Erica, is a nurse in Houston, Texas, and her younger sister, Sydney, is pursuing her nursing degree at Grambling State University.
In addition to her professional journey, Haley Franklin actively served in Chi Alpha, a Christian student ministry. She was a key member of SWAG (Students Working Achieving Goals) – an organization founded by her mother to support and mentor high school students in Central Arkansas. Through SWAG, she continues mentoring future healthcare scholars.
The Haley Franklin Legacy of Care Endowment was created in partnership with SWAG. The endowment awarded two one-time annual scholarships to a high school junior and senior pursuing a healthcare career.
These initiatives reflect Haley Franklin’s commitment to lifting others through education, mentorship, and opportunity, just as others once believed in her.
Her community impact has not gone unnoticed. Haley Franklin is a two-time recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which was honored by President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump for her outstanding dedication to service.
“And let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9
As she celebrates her first year as a registered nurse, her story shines as a beacon of what’s possible through faith, family, education, and service. The Heart to Heal and Legacy of Care Endowments will carry her mission forward – one nurse, one scholarship, and one act of love at a time.
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