Mission Health Awards 18 Scholarships in Memory of Kesha Young
Making college more affordable for high school seniors and college students.
Mission Health awarded their annual Kesha Young Health Careers Scholarship, with the aim of making college more affordable for high school seniors and college students from western North Carolina who are pursuing careers in healthcare.
Eighteen students from around the region were given scholarships at a ceremony held at Mission Hospital’s Cancer Center.
“Healthcare careers are dynamic and demanding, but at the core, they are professions of service and caring,” said Jorie Matijevich, Regional VP of Human Resources at Mission Health. “The Kesha Young Scholarship recipients are selected because these promising students are committed to creating connection with patients that bring warmth, trust, and healing during medical challenges.”
The scholarship began in 1997 and is named in honor of Kesha Young, a young woman with medical conditions requiring multiple surgeries at Mission Hospital over the course of her life. Kesha was described by her adoptive parents as embodying the characteristics that are vital to how healthcare team members engage with patients, families and visitors—with a strong spirit, warm smile, and positive encouragement.
Across the country and here in WNC there is a shortage of healthcare workers. At Mission Health and across HCA Healthcare, we continue to work toward developing and growing a workforce to support our community.
In addition to programs such as this long-running scholarship, Mission Health supports allied health students at eight colleges and universities in WNC with its Community Health Scholars program. We offer a number of clinical pathway programs, tuition reimbursement options, and a student loan repayment program for benefits-eligible colleagues. The Galen College of Nursing is located in Asheville, and Mission has invested $400,000 annually in faculty support for several other WNC nursing programs.
