University of Central Arkansas (UCA) Nursing Student Wins the SignatureCare Emergency Center 2025 Fall Semester Medical and Health Scholarship

Katelyn Jennings says her journey toward a healthcare career began with her grandmother's diagnosis and watching her grandfather and father provide the care she needed.

HOUSTON, Sept. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The SignatureCare Emergency Center Scholarship Award Committee is pleased to announce that it has awarded the 2025 Fall Semester Medical and Health Scholarship to Katelyn Jennings, a nursing student at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA).

The committee said it chose Katelyn Jennings to receive the bi-annual $1,000 scholarship award because of her life experiences and her desire to help those less fortunate in society.

The scholarship award, which is designed to help cover tuition and other college-related expenses, is awarded to qualified U.S. college students.

To be considered for this highly coveted award, students are required to meet certain criteria and submit a 500-word essay that answers the question: Who or what inspired you to enter the medical field? More information about the scholarship award is available on our scholarship information page.

Dr. Christopher L Huerta, MD, an emergency medicine physician and medical director of SignatureCare Emergency Center's Midland, TX emergency center, congratulated Ms. Jennings for winning the award.

"You can understand where Katelyn's passion for medicine comes from. At that early age, she experienced what good patient care is and immediately gravitated toward that. I am glad she chose this field, and I have no doubt Katelyn will be an excellent medical professional," Dr. Huerta said.

"Watching my father care for my grandmother showed me the power of presence, patience, and love in medicine. It also revealed the gaps in our healthcare system—how hard it is for families to access proper support and how critical trained professionals are. This experience didn't just inspire me to enter the medical field; it called me to it."

While accepting the award, Katelyn thanked the SignatureCare Emergency Center Scholarship Committee for selecting her as the winner. She promised to put the fund to good use towards her education.

"I am very grateful to the scholarship committee for this award. It will help me continue my education as the first person in my family to study medicine. I am really appreciative of the committee members for this award," she said.

"Growing up, I never imagined that the quiet strength I saw in my father would one day define my future. My grandmother was diagnosed with Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) before I was born. At first, I didn't fully understand what it meant. I only knew that it was a disease that slowly stole her ability to move and speak as well as she used to.

"After my grandpa passed, it was up to my father to take care of her. Over the last ten years, I have watched my dad become her full-time caregiver. This became the most formative experience of my life, and the reason I've chosen to pursue a career in the medical field," she said.

She added that though her father is not a medical professional, the care he provided her grandmother helped her manage the illness and prolong her life.

"My father is not a doctor or nurse. He had no formal training in medicine, yet every day, he provided my grandmother with the kind of care most people would expect only from professionals. He learned how to safely transfer her from bed to wheelchair, how to suction her throat when she couldn't swallow, and how to interpret her needs through the slightest movements or expressions when she lost her ability to speak. His hands became hers. His voice became her advocate. And through it all, he never complained.

"Watching my father care for my grandmother showed me the power of presence, patience, and love in medicine. It also revealed the gaps in our healthcare system—how hard it is for families to access proper support and how critical trained professionals are. This experience didn't just inspire me to enter the medical field; it called me to it.

"I want to become a healthcare provider who doesn't just treat symptoms but sees the whole person. I want to be someone who eases the burdens of families like mine. My grandmother is still alive today, thanks to my father, who is always there to take care of her. Watching my father care for my grandmother has helped me understand my love for medicine," she added.

The 2026 SignatureCare Emergency Center Spring Semester Medical and Health Scholarship will open soon. To apply, please visit our scholarship page.

About SignatureCare Emergency Center

Houston, TX-based SignatureCare Emergency Center owns 24-hour emergency centers throughout Texas, including in Odessa, Killeen, Midland, Texarkana, Lewisville, and College Station, TX.

Website: https://ercare24.com

SOURCE SignatureCare Emergency Centers