Five nurses from Keck Medical Center of USC were recently awarded $2,500 scholarships from two organizations associated with USC to help them further their educations.

One of the organizations, Keck Hospital of USC Guild, gave awards to nurses Daniel Hudson, Jessica Thomas and Kimberly Sanchez. Hudson is pursuing a master’s degree in nursing leadership, Thomas is completing a bachelor’s degree in nursing and Sanchez is studying for a doctor of nursing practice degree.

Keck Hospital of USC Guild is a membership organization that supports the efforts of Keck Hospital of USC and Keck Medical School of USC. In addition to giving scholarships to nurses, the Guild also awards scholarships to medical students and helps raise money for equipment for Keck Hospital.

Town & Gown of USC presented $2,500 scholarships to nurses Rosalyn Phan, who is pursuing a master’s degree, and Sarah Giron, who is pursuing a PhD. Town & Gown of USC is a philanthropic organization that gives more than $1 million in scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students every year. Each year, the organization holds a benefit in honor of a well-known person. That person gets to decide how the scholarship money that was raised in their honor is spent. When Town & Gown decided to honor Nancy Reagan she chose a scholarship fund to help nurses.

Carol Mollett, past president of Town & Gown of USC, explained that the fund will help further the education of two or three nurses every year in perpetuity. She added that Town & Gown hopes that funding continuing education for nurses will help Keck Hospital of USC attain a nursing magnet designation, an award by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which recognizes hospitals with excellent nursing care.

“We applaud both the scholarship winners and the organizations who awarded them,” said Joy Smith, nursing director, Keck Hospital of USC. “The Keck Hospital Guild and Town and Gown recognize that Keck Hospital’s nurses are a key part of the healthcare team and that supporting their academic pursuits helps us continually elevate the care of our patients and their families across our organization.”

— Hope Hamashige