The Chart Online

Scholarship erases student's tuition
Michelle Conty

Public Forum Editor

Being the recipient of a scholarship makes one feel fortunate, but receiving that scholarship for a second year in a row is an honor.

This is one of the largest scholarships Missouri Southern has, so I feel really fortunate to be the one who received it, said Gretchen Cole, junior biology major, recipient of the Dorothea B Hoover Scholarship for the second year in a row.

The scholarship covers tuition for one year at 12 credit hours a semester.

Monthly dues from the Joplin branch of the American Association of University Women fund the scholarship in conjunction with fund-raising projects the group holds throughout the year.

The association held a fund-raiser Nov. 16, including a silent auction, arts and crafts table, a bake sale and a used book sale.

At the fund-raiser Carrie April Tillis, daughter of Mel Tillis, provided a program of Broadway tunes, popular songs, opera and country melodies.

Tillis talked about how beneficial a liberal arts education was to her, said AAUW president, Jean Campbell.

Tillis had been a theatre student, but switched to vocal music then discovering opera, which she spoke about on Nov. 16, as being perfect for her voice, Campbell said.

We had a large attendance making this the most profitable fund-raising event we have ever held, she said.

The college scholarship committee is responsible for selecting the recipient of the Hoover scholarship.

If a student applies to the College for a scholarship, then they are in the pool of women eligible to receive the scholarship, Campbell said.

In the AAUW newsletter, Teresa Massa, Foundation Board, stated the goal of the group was to have 100 persons in attendance and raise more than $1,100. Campbell said nearly $1,800 was raised.

Not all the money has come in yet, so we don t have to final total yet, but we do know we exceeded our goal, she said.

I think it would be nice if other organizations did what this organization does, funding a person to go to college, Cole said.

She began her college career as a business major in 1992. Cole left Southern in 1994 and took a job as a retail manager. Later, she worked for the Jasper County Health Department as a clerk and Spanish translator.

The more exposure I had to what the nurses had with the clients, I decided to go back to school for medicine, Cole said.

She retuned to college in 2001, with a goal of pursuing a career in pediatrics.

I decided to go for the gold and become a doctor, she said.

I didn t think I there was any way I would be in the running for this scholarship.

Aside from 10 hours a week in the biology lab at Southern, Cole volunteers at the Joplin Community Clinic and has her hands full at home.

She and her husband have a 6-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter.

My husband is very supportive, and I m blessed with good kids, Cole said. I wouldn t be able to handle my class load if I didn t have such good kids.

I don t know if they (the organization) know how much it means to be the recipient of their scholarship. Since it s a full 12 hour tuition, it really helps out.