• Conashya Headd has been selected to receive the Jacob Chester Frist Memorial Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

This $1,600 award is funded through the MCC Foundation from an endowment established by Dr. Thomas F. Frist of Nashville, Tennessee, in memory of his father. Mr. Frist was awarded the Carnegie Award for rescuing a lady and her child from the train tracks where he worked as station master. He died as a result of injuries sustained in that heroic act. Dr. Frist, a physician for more than 50 years, was one of the founders of Hospital Corporation of America and American Retirement Corporation. Because of his lifelong commitment to the healthcare field, he designated the earnings from this endowment to a student in the Associate Degree Nursing Program.

Headd, a 2008 graduate of Louisville High School, is in the third semester of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at MCC. She is a member of the Organization of Student Nurses (OSN), Mississippi Organization of Associate Degree Nursing (MOADN), and works full-time at the Winston Medical Center Nursing Home. After graduating from MCC, Headd plans to obtain her master of science degree in nursing.

• Chenille Hewitt has been selected to receive the Margaret and Bill Smylie Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

This $1,800 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. Mrs. Smylie devoted her life to her family, her church, and to her volunteer work with the Federation of Women’s Clubs. Mr. Smylie served as mayor of Meridian from 1953 until 1957. Notable achievements during his term were bringing Naval Air Station to Meridian and the completion of the 22nd Avenue Bridge, which circumvented 26 railroad tracks near the center of town.

Hewitt, a 1999 graduate of Yazoo City High School, is in the third semester of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at MCC.  Chenille is a member of the Organization of Student Nurses, the Mississippi Organization for Associate Degree Nursing and works at St. Catherine’s Village, Madison. She plans to be a diabetic educator.

• Tabatha Williams has been selected to receive the Katherine Chisolm Hester and Lamar Hester Memorial Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

The Hester Scholarship is an endowment initiated by Mr. Thomas Hester, son of Katherine and Lamar. Mr. Hester wanted to honor his wife Vickie’s accomplishments in the nursing program at Meridian Community College and honor the outstanding leadership and professionalism of her instructors and the entire staff of the MCC Nursing Program. He recently changed the designation to benefit a non-traditional age nursing student. Both his mother Katherine and his wife Vickie always place the needs and best interests of others ahead of their own self-interest.

Williams, a 1987 graduate of Perry Central High School in New Augusta, is in the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Meridian Community College. She is a member of the Organization of Student Nurses and the Mississippi Organization for Associate Degree Nursing. Williams is married and works part-time at Laurelwood Community Nursing Home and Perry County Nursing Center. After graduation, she will join the workforce as a registered nurse. 

• Peyton Bracken has been selected to receive the Kathleen Newby McDaniel Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

This award is funded through the MCC Foundation from an endowment established by the McDaniel Family. A corporate officer, Mrs. McDaniel was a devoted member of Highland Baptist Church, where she taught an adult Sunday school class for many years.

Bracken is a 2018 graduate of West Lauderdale High School, where she was a member of the National Honor Society and band. She is taking pre-requisite courses to enter in the Associate Degree Nursing Program at MCC. Her goal is to become a pediatric oncology nurse.

• Kharion Parson has been selected to receive the Emily Louise McDonald Nursing Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

This $1,600 award is funded through the MCC Foundation from an endowment established by Mrs. McDonald’s brother, Forrest Mobley. Mrs. McDonald, an MJC graduate, devoted more than 30 years to the nursing profession in Meridian. She was director of the Matty Hersee School of Nursing when she retired.

Parson, a 2009 graduate of Vicksburg High School, is in the third semester of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at MCC. She is a member of the Organization of Student Nurses and the Mississippi Organization for Associate Degree Nursing. She is the mother of two children and currently works at the Yazoo City Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. Parson plans to continue her education to obtain her bachelor of science degree in nursing. 

• Mariana Ocampo was selected to receive the C. B. “Dough” and Alice Rawlings Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

This $1,500 award is funded through the MCC Foundation from an endowment established by Norma Rawlings Webb. Mrs. Webb chose this means to pay tribute to her parents who were both involved in civic and sports activities in the Meridian area for many years. Because of her generosity, students attending MCC for years to come will have help with the costs of college. Mrs. Webb also established the Norma Rawlings Webb Endowment and the Tommy Webb Endowment.

Ocampo is a 2018 graduate of West Lauderdale High School, where she was a member of the girls’ basketball team. She is in the University Transfer Program at MCC, where she is the manager for the MCC Girls’ Basketball Team and also works part-time at Kreative Air. Ocampo plans to transfer to the University of Southern Mississippi to continue her degree in athletic training. 

• Nichole Ball and Harley Riley have been selected to receive the Anderson Support and Development Foundation Scholarship at Meridian Community College. 

These $2,000 awards are funded through the MCC Foundation by the local non-profit corporation. The Board of Anderson Support and Development Foundation believe that financial support for medical education is the key to a successful medical community.

  Ball, a 2006 graduate of Winston Academy, is a freshman in the Physical Therapy Assistant Program at MCC. She is a Dean’s List scholar, Physical Therapy Assistant class officer, and a member of HOSA. Upon graduation, Ball plans to obtain her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public health from the Mississippi University for Women.

  Riley, a 2015 honors graduate of Enterprise High School, is a sophomore in the Medical Laboratory Technology Program at MCC. She is a member of the Student Association of Medical Lab Technicians and of the Health Occupation Students of America. After graduating from MCC, Riley plans to continue her education and become a medical lab scientist. 

• LOWELL, Mass. — Raven LaFountaine of Meridian, Mississippi, has been recognized for achieving academic distinction at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

LaFountaine, a psychology major, was named to the dean’s list at UMass for the fall 2018 semester.

To qualify for the dean’s list at UMass, a student must have completed no fewer than 12 graded credits for the semester and earned at least a 3.25 grade-point average with no grade lower than C and without any incompletes.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The following residents were among 12,332 students enrolled during the 2018 fall term at The University of Alabama named to the Dean’s List with an academic record of 3.5 or above or the President’s List with an academic record of 4.0 (all A’s).

The UA Dean’s and President’s lists recognize full-time undergraduate students. The lists do not apply to graduate students or to undergraduate students who take less than a full course load. Students on the list include:

President’s List: Tatum Dye, Antonio Padilla Denis, Morgan Ross, Avery Watson and Connor Webb, all of Meridian, Mississippi; Kamryn Gilbert of Collinsville, Mississippi; Alana Clinton of Lake, Mississippi; and Bilal Ahmad of Marion, Mississippi.

Dean’s List: Holly Brand, William Cope and Christopher Hicks, all of Meridian, Mississippi; AnnaLaura Campbell and Byron Thomas, both of Bailey, Mississippi; Margaret Moody and Mary Moody, both of Butler; Claudia Rolison of Lisman; and Caroline Wigley of Gilbertown.

• TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama awarded some 2,065 degrees during its fall commencement Dec. 15. Local residents among them were: Tatum Dye of Meridian, Mississippi, bachelor of arts; Patricia Culpepper of Marion, Mississippi, bachelor of science in nursing; David Carney of Gilbertown, Alabama, bachelor of science in mechanical engineering; and James Gunn of Butler, Alabama, bachelor of science in nursing.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Kaylila Pasha of Meridian, Mississippi, has been named to Oklahoma City University’s Fall 2018 Dean’s Honor Roll.

Dean’s Honor Roll status is awarded to students who successfully complete a minimum of 12 credit hours and maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.