North Carolina Nursing Student Awarded Inaugural Pearson-HOSA Scholarship
A newly minted Pearson-HOSA scholarship was awarded to promising future healthcare professionals at HOSA’s 50th annual International Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. To learn more and to find a scholarship of your own, please visit the scholarship portal available on Pearson Futures.
If you ever meet Abby Epperson, you will quickly realize that she is ambitious, visionary, and eager to contribute to society. Abby, who is from Mt. Airy, North Carolina, a small town near the Appalachian Mountains on the Virginia-North Carolina border, was a high school standout. She earned straight A’s, took AP courses, was dual-enrolled at the local community college, played volleyball all four years, participated in student government, and – in the middle of all of this – found time to volunteer at the local hospital. She even earned her CNA license in her junior year and assisted the nursing staff in the hospital's maternity ward.
When asked about her favorite subject, she laughed and said, “It was actually math. I even had a math cake for one of my birthdays.”
Today Abby is an incoming sophomore at High Point University studying nursing. You could say that she is single-handedly working to overcome the old adage that each new generation of workers is lazier and less motivated than the previous generation.
Abby is also the first recipient of Pearson’s new joint scholarship with HOSA, the world’s leading healthcare-oriented career and technical student organization, awarded to promising future health professionals.
Well done and congrats, Abby!
So, what’s her post-college plan?
Abby explained that when she was growing up, her mom had a heart condition. “You could say I got used to being at the hospital. And because of that, I really looked up to the doctors and nurses,” she added.
Watching how the staff cared for her mother sparked Abby's interest in working in healthcare. As a result, she enrolled in High Point University’s nursing program for her bachelor’s degree. From there, she hopes to graduate, become a registered nurse, and pursue her doctorate to become a women’s health nurse practitioner.
Why did she choose High Point University?
Her decision to attend HPU, which is considered the best-run college in the nation, dates back to 6th grade, when she visited the Greensboro, NC-area school during her first year in HOSA. She describes the nursing program as “very competitive and challenging,” but also offering plenty of support and encouragement from faculty and staff. She also added, “There is a big emphasis on your life after college. The program offers extensive professional development and internship opportunities as well as fantastic connections to professionals.”
How did HOSA help her?
As an 11-year-old, she joined HOSA, which was offered to students in her school’s health science program. As a middle-schooler, Abby sounded like most of us. She felt awkward and shy, saying she would never have had the guts to just walk up to people and strike up a conversation. But as a middle-schooler, she was also elected chapter president, which is where her confidence really began to grow.
As Abby progressed through HOSA, she took on more leadership roles and continued to work at her local hospital, which helped her advance up the career ladder quickly through the connections she made and the skills she developed. According to Abby, the organization's key value lies in creating a community for like-minded individuals interested in healthcare. Further, she said that, “It offers opportunities to explore different pathways while making a difference in their local communities.”
As Abby entered her junior and senior years in HOSA, she served as a state officer, which deepened her understanding of leadership. This came in the form of “learning how to delegate and to ask for help. Listening and getting feedback from other student leaders, and learning how to make a well-run team.” Indeed, by the end of her senior year in high school, Abby had developed the kind of leadership skills that people don’t typically gain until much later in life.
And finally, she said that HOSA really helped prepare her for college. “If it wasn’t for HOSA, High Point University would not have been on my radar. It prepared me to go to nursing school with confidence.”
What has been the biggest a-ha moment through high school and now college?
When Abby was asked about what has surprised or impressed her most about her years with HOSA and working in a healthcare setting, she replied, “Learning and working at such a young age really matures you. When you work in labor and delivery, you are there for people’s best days, and you are sometimes there for their worst.”
Essentially, Abby did all the things a normal high school student would do – school and sports – but then she would head to the hospital, where she was transformed into a very different, more serious environment. This gave her tremendous perspective and helped her to grow up in ways that would not be possible otherwise.
This is also where Abby extols the virtue of work-based learning. “Career and technical student organizations and work-based learning allow us to flip the idea that we live in a lazy, unmotivated generation,” she said. “It has been through HOSA and the work at the hospital that I have really matured and gained confidence.”
What does she think of the Pearson-HOSA Scholarship?
“I was pleasantly surprised when I found out I won the scholarship,” she said. “HOSA is really good at making sure that students are aware of opportunities like this, and I always stay in the loop with everything that comes from Pearson.”
The scholarship came from Pearson Futures, a new website featuring a scholarship portal with more than $1,000,000 in awards. Of the website, Abby said, “I think it is incredible. When you go to the website, there are so many different opportunities.”
She also added that the Pearson team has been very helpful throughout the process. “You can tell they really care about students. They are doing an incredible job of helping students connect to the job market. Pearson really gives students an edge when they are trying to take the next step.”
Casey Welch, Pearson’s VP of Career and inspiration behind the Futures website, said, “It’s an honor to recognize and support students like Abby. After working alongside HOSA and other CTSOs for over a decade, I remain inspired by the confidence, leadership, and determination these young people bring to everything they do. Abby’s story is a powerful reminder of why investing in students matters so much.”
What is the key to winning a scholarship?
“You get a lot of ‘No’s’ when you apply for scholarships,” said Abby. So Abby recommends a few things to other students seeking scholarships.
● First, you need to find a scholarship that is the right fit. The HOSA-Pearson opportunity was the perfect fit for her interests, abilities, and background.
● Next, it is important to be well-rounded. The people who award scholarships want to see students with “a clear drive and purpose,” said Abby.
● Third, put in the effort. It takes time and effort to fill out the applications. Students have a lot going on, and it is easy to lose focus on the application process because of other priorities.
● And finally, “Be ready for the no’s and thankful for the yes’s,” said the college sophomore.
What is Abby most excited for when she thinks about her future?
When Abby thinks about her future, she is “Most excited to be able to do what full-fledged nurses do. They inspire me so much. I am eager to do the same work.” She also thinks a lot about the people she will get to serve. “I will get to be there for some incredible moments, like when a mom has her first child.”
Well done, Abby. You are a great example to a new generation of students striving for a good start in life.
To find a scholarship that is right for you, please visit Pearson Futures.