Kellogg Community College Foundation Gold Key Scholarship recipient Jaytion Wallace graduated from Marshall High School and is studying to become a registered nurse, with hopes to continue her education at the bachelor’s degree level after KCC.
Below, Wallace answers some questions about her experiences as a student at KCC and specifically as a Gold Key Scholarship recipient.
What does being a Gold Key Scholar mean to you?
Being a Gold Key Scholar means determination to me. It means determination because you have to have a certain drive to be able to keep up the standard of being a top-notch student while life can be chaotic. I’ve had my share of hard times throughout the last two years, especially with the pandemic occurring, but I was also able to climb out of those hard times with the help of the scholarship.
What is your favorite thing about the Gold Key Scholarship program?
My favorite thing about the Gold Key Scholarship is how inviting the scholars and mentors of the scholarship are. There are sessions held where we can talk, laugh and just be ourselves. Free from judgement, free from thinking that what we say doesn’t matter.
What is something you learned from your scholarship program leadership, enrichment or service activities?
From the leadership course that we had taken, I learned that a leader isn’t always the “stand up” person with a voice that everyone can hear. Even the quiet or less outspoken are leaders because leaders are shown through the actions you display.
What is one thing you learned about yourself through your development activities as a Gold Key Scholar?
I’ve learned that I’m more mentally strong than I made myself out to be. As long as I take a breather and assess all situations that may come my way, I can handle anything.
What is a special memory or experience you’ve had that wouldn’t have happened if not for the Gold Key Scholarship program?
I would have never experienced the level of friendship that I’ve experienced had it not been for the Gold Key Scholarship. I’m not always the outgoing person that I seem to be, but with the scholarship I was able to create some type of friendship by working on projects together, being in meetings having discussions. It was just a lot easier to get to know people.
What do you ultimately want to do for a career, and why did you choose that profession?
My goal is to become a family nurse practitioner and I’ve chosen to become a family nurse practitioner not only because I love the anatomy and physiology aspects of the career, but because I love to help and take care of all people and being a nurse practitioner allows me to do just that.
KCC Foundation scholarship applications for new, returning and graduating KCC students are available now and can be completed entirely online for free. Visit kellogg.edu/kccscholarships for links to scholarship applications and more information about scholarships for KCC students.
The photo of Wallace above is courtesy of Jasmine McMaster.