SUNY Corning Community College and Corning Incorporated Award Scholarship to Help Address Local Nursing Shortage
Three CCC students awarded the Mary Eliza Mahoney Nursing Education Scholarship, named after the first Black person in the U.S. to earn a nursing license
CORNING, N.Y. – Corning Incorporated’s Office of Racial Equality and Social Unity (ORESU) and SUNY Corning Community College announced that freshman Romario Brown, and sophomores Maximus Ikechukwu and Tonya Craige have been awarded the Mary Eliza Mahoney Nursing Education Scholarship, a two-year scholarship geared toward students who have been underrepresented in health sciences.
The scholarship, named after the first Black person in the U.S. to earn a professional nursing license, includes all tuition and fees.
Dr. William P. Mullaney, CCC president, said "the scholarship will allow students to focus their time and energy on their studies instead of how they finance their education."
“Being able to reduce the financial burden of our students helps them minimize their student loan debt, setting them up for success as they enter the workforce,” he said.
Krystal Jubilee, director of nurse education, said "this new scholarship is a wonderful opportunity that will help three of our students realize their dreams of becoming professional registered nurses.” She emphasized, “this is life changing for our students.”
ORESU and CCC created the scholarship to help address a local nursing shortage by supporting students from racial and ethnic backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in health- related sciences. Award recipients agree to work in Chemung or Steuben counties upon completion of CCC’s nursing prelicensure program, with a two-year commitment for full-time employment and a four-year commitment for part-time.
Michele Johnson, senior manager, ORESU, said that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an existing shortage of nurses, which hit Corning-area communities especially hard.
“The scholarship not only helps address this shortage, but also provides an opportunity for students of color, who often have more student loan debt and greater barriers to their education than their counterparts,” Johnson said. “This partnership is a win-win for the students, CCC, and the local community.”
