Nursing scholarship awarded four future nursing students

TEXARKANA, Texas - Four high-achieving students were recipients of the Marilyn Hunter-Thompson Nursing of Excellence Scholarship on Saturday.

Verna Oates, the event organizer and first cousin of the late Hunter-Thompson, said this was the scholarship's sixth year, and it's granted financial assistance for nursing school for 30 students.

The scholarship program requires a 3.5 GPA and these four students' ranged from 3.88 to 4.1.

Steven Thompson, Marilyn Hunter-Thompson's husband, said she was a dedicated nurse with healing hands who mentored numerous nurses throughout her career.

He said he wants to continue her legacy through a nursing scholarship for graduating high school students.

Former nursing scholarship recipient Emoni Anderson, who is starting her second year at Texas A&M in College Station, plans to attend medical school to become an OB-GYN.

"No matter what pathway I took, they've been supporting me this whole way, and not only did the support stop before I went to college or in the first three months, they've been supporting me through my entire journey," said Anderson. "Ms. Verna, she reaches out to me, she calls me, she asks me how I'm doing, she asks me about my grades; when I told her about my study abroad opportunity, they still helped me financially, emotionally, they still supported me throughout that as well."

Oates said they do what they do because they love nurses, the demand is great and they want to produce great nurses for the future.