Pictured (l-r): In the St. Francis lobby, Kimberly Stuckey, Alexis Burkhalter, Renea L. Baker, Leah Michelle Lenox, Mary Elizabeth Dupuis and Margaret Tillman Rawls open the envelopes containing their scholarships.

It was a “happy morning” on Monday, Oct. 29, according to Sister Anne Marie Twohig.

Twohig, on behalf of The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady at St. Francis Medical Center, presented seven nursing students from the University of Louisiana at Monroe with Franciscan Missionaries Endowed Scholarships in Nursing, each valued at $1,000.

“This is a happy morning for the sisters because we're able to help so many young nurses to finish their careers, to get out in the real world and to take care of their patients,” she said.

Kimberly Stuckey accepts her scholarship from Sister Anne Marie Twohig, who complimented Stuckey's smile and told her, "Keep your smile close to your patients."

This year's recipients are:

• Leah Michelle Lenox, Baton Rouge
  
• Margaret Tillman Rawls, Monroe
  
• Claire Elizabeth Howard, West Monroe
  
• Renea L. Baker, West Monroe
  
• Mary Elizabeth Dupuis, Crowley
  
• Kimberly Stuckey, West Monroe
  
• Alexis Burkhalter, West Monroe

The scholarships are funded with money raised by friends of the sisters in the Monroe community in the mid-1990s. The money was originally raised to erect a sculpture honoring the sisters who have served at St. Francis since the opening of the hospital in 1913. The funds raised exceeded the amount needed for the sculpture, so the sisters decided to invest the balance and use the interest to provide scholarships for deserving ULM nursing students.

The students receiving the scholarships have at least a 2.5 to a 3.0 grade point average and live in the St. Francis service area. The sisters choose the recipients they believe are most deserving from a list of applicants submitted by the ULM School of Nursing.


Photos by Richard Lupo, University Photo Services