Scholarship

Scholarship Recipients

2024:  Jodi Wyant

2024: Brooke Kidwell

2023:  Elizabeth Church

2023:  Amber Reece-Young

2022: Elizabeth Knox

2022:  Amy Chandler

2020: Abraya Johnson

2018: Cheryl Herberg

2017: Tanja Salary

2016: Melissa Owens

2016: Elizabeth Shook

2015: Jennifer Mauch

2015: Dallas Picard

Scholarship Description

The School Nurse Association of North Carolina (SNANC) offers scholarships to school nurses committed to a career in the school setting who are seeking to further their education and enhance their clinical practices and leadership skills.

SNANC awards the Marilyn H. Asay scholarship annually to assist with educational expenses.

Purpose: To enhance the clinical practice and leadership skills of school nurses in North Carolina through ongoing education to maximize the health and well being of the state's school age children and adolescents. 

The application process is simple. If you are currently in or interested in going back to school you need to check it out. Do not delay. The deadline for applications is May 14, 2024.

Eligibility

  1. Applicants must hold a current license to practice as a registered nurse in NC.
  2. Be a current member of SNANC.
  3. Have a minimum of one academic year of experience as a school nurse.
  4. Have received acceptance or be currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate or graduate program. The applicant must furnish a copy of their acceptance letter or an unofficial copy of their transcript.
  5. The applicant must provide an essay in 500 words or less explaining reasons for pursuing the educational studies and the relationship of the studies to her/his career expectations in school nursing.
  6. Must provide one letter of recommendation from a supervisor or employer in school health who has knowledge of the applicant's professional abilities.
  7. Must complete the application and submit it to the scholarship committee by the deadline. (No later than May 14th annually)
  8. It is the expectation of SNANC that recipients of this scholarship intend on continuing their career in school health in NC following the completion of their studies.

Marilyn Asay Application and Cover Sheet

About Marilyn

Marilyn H. Asay dedicated her professional nursing career to the advancement of school nursing in NC.

With a strong commitment to public health and school health practice with focus on health promotion and disease prevention for the children in our state, Marilyn worked to make her vision of school nursing a reality.

Ms. Asay served as the NC State School Nurse Consultant form 1987 to 2005. She devoted her time to promoting well-prepared nurses with a minimum level of educational preparation, reducing nurse to student ratios, and successfully lobbied to the State Board of Education for an appropriate salary schedule for nationally certified school nurses.

Marilyn started the annual school nurse conference in 1984 while serving on the faculty at UNC School of Public Health. There she taught a course that she redesigned to help meet national certification requirements of school nurses and present best practice in school health. Marilyn was also very influential and supportive in the development and formation of the School Nurse Association of NC in 1992.

Ms. Asay went on to make significant contributions towards the development of well prepared nurses and strong local school health programs by convincing the NC DHHS Division to be the first state in the country to have regional school nurse consultant positions.

Marilyn served as the president of the National Association of State School Nurse Consultants and in 2002 was the recipient of the Association's Outstanding School Nurse Consultant Award. In 2005, Governor Mike Easely named her as the recipient of the Old North State Award "for dedication and service beyond expectation and excellence to the Great State of North Carolina on behalf of the citizens of the State."

In honor of Marilyn Asay's service to school nurses and school health services and to her commitment to education, the School Nurse Association of North Carolina has established the Marilyn H. Asay Scholarship. Awards will be made to assist school nurses further their education and enhance their leadership skills.