• Christy Lynn Kennedy has been selected to receive the Margaret and Bill Smylie Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

    This $1,300 award is funded through the MCC Foundation from an endowment established by Mrs. Smylie in memory of her husband.  After Mrs. Smylie’s death, the family added her name to the endowment and designated the recipient to be a student in the Associate Degree Nursing Program.

     Kennedy, a 1991 graduate of Quitman High School, is a third semester nursing student with plans to graduate in December. Kennedy is a member of the Organization of Student Nurses. She also works as a student nurse in labor and delivery at Anderson Regional Medical Center. Her goal is to work toward a bachelor of science degree in nursing.          

    • Tevin Cortez Culpepper and Rustavio Williams have been selected to receive the Upward Bound Scholarships at Meridian Community College. 

    These $1,000 awards are funded through the MCC Foundation from a fund established by Mr. and Mrs. Maurice F. Kahlmus in 1998. Students are recommended for these scholarships by the Boys and Girls Club.

     Culpepper is a 2010 graduate of Meridian High School, where he was a member of the MHS Basketball Team and Wildcat Band. At MCC, he is in the University Transfer Program preparing for a career in physical education. In addition to his class responsibilities, Culpepper works part time and sings in his church choir.

    Williams is a 2009 graduate of Meridian High School. He played football for the Wildcats and was a member of the concert choir. At MCC, he is a sophomore in the University Transfer Program studying psychology. Williams plans to complete his bachelor’s degree and then pursue a career in the United States Military.

    • Parker Wilson Davis has been selected to receive the Ed Day Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

    This $1,000 award is funded through the MCC Foundation. Day is president/CEO of Mississippi Power Company. He was the guest speaker for the MCC Foundation President’s Roundtable luncheon last fall; this award is given in his honor.

     Davis is a 2010 graduate of West Lauderdale High School, where played football and baseball for the Knights and was a member of the Junior Honor Society. Davis is taking courses at MCC in preparation for a career in the medical field. He is considering a career as a nurse anesthetist.   

    • James Mack Timms III has been selected to receive the Mott Foundation Commercial Truck Driving Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

    This $800 award is funded through the MCC Foundation. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation is a private, grantmaking foundation based in Flint, Mich.

     Timms is a 1999 graduate of Southeast Lauderdale High School.  A single parent of a 6-year-old son, his goal is to further his education in the truck driving industry so that he can provide a better life for himself and his son.

    • Christin L. Hutchinson has been selected to receive the Mabel and S. Carl Merritt Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

    This $2,300 award is funded through the MCC Foundation from an endowment established by Mrs. Merritt and her husband, who is now deceased.

     Hutchinson, a 2007 graduate of Oxford High School, is in the Radiologic Technology Program at MCC. A member of Health Occupation Students of America, Hutchinson placed third in the state HOSA competition. She is a Dean’s List scholar and has been tapped for Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year college students. Hutchinson plans to specialize in image modality.

    • Laura Lang Alexander has been selected to receive the Winnie P. Crampton Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

    This $900 award is funded through the MCC Foundation from an endowment established by Edward H. Crampton to honor his wife. Mrs. Crampton devoted over 27 years of her life to the nursing profession.

     Alexander, a 2003 graduate of Northeast Lauderdale High School, is in the third semester of the Associate Degree Nursing Program. Alexander is a member of the Organization of Student Nurses and works part time as a student nurse in the obstetrics department of Anderson Regional Medical Center. Her goal is to pursue a master’s degree in nursing and continue working in women’s health.   

    • Augustine “Al” Cervantes has been selected to receive the Sonny Ruff Excellence in Nursing Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

    This $250 award is funded through the MCC Foundation by Nurse Practitioner Sonny Ruff, who completed the Associate Degree Nursing Program at MCC in 2003. As a tribute to the nursing program and nursing faculty, Ruff has established this award to help a deserving student in the program.

     Cervantes, a 1984 graduate of Hattiesburg High School, has worked in the mental health field for 20 years. He is a member of the Organization of Student Nurses and the Mississippi Organization for Associate Degree Nursing. A third semester student in the nursing program, Cervantes will enter the workforce upon graduation.

    • DECATUR – Matthew Shelley of Forest was recently named an electrical technology instructor at East Central Community College in Decatur.

     Prior to joining the college’s career-technical faculty, Shelley served an advanced skill trainer for ECCC’s Workforce Development, a position he held since September 2006. He also has several years experience as an adjunct instructor in electrical technology and the industrial maintenance area.

     Shelley was previously employed as maintenance supervisor and technician at LA-Z-Boy in Newton, from 1998-2006. He also served from 1976-1998 as an industrial and commercial electrician/supervisor at Shelley’s Electrical in Sebastopol.

     A graduate of Scott Central High School, Shelley received as associate’s degree in electronic technology from ECCC in 2008.