Students in a Lincoln University nursing class received a special surprise Wednesday.
One of the students in the class was recognized for his compassion, stewardship and sense of community with a $2,500 scholarship.
Barb Sheehan, chairwoman of the scholarship committee, presented the Sister Mary Jean Ryan Scholarship to Lincoln University senior Jeffery Hargrove.
Sheehan said Ryan, who was chairman of the St. Mary's Foundation and chief executive officer of SSM Healthcare for more than 25 years, was a major influence in the Jefferson City nursing community.
Ryan created a strong relationship between St. Mary's Hospital and Lincoln University, Sheehan said. The scholarship given in her name is awarded annually to students with permanent residency in Missouri as well as a 3.2 GPA or higher.
Quoting one of Hargrove's professors, Sheehan said of this year's recipient: "I have found Jeffery to be one of the most selfless students I have ever taught. He is a very inquisitive, respectful and positive student."
Hargrove decided to go into nursing to support his daughter. Born in 2018, Hargrove and his family soon discovered she would need some assistance as she grew up.
"I had a daughter that was born with special needs," Hargrove said. "Once we found out that fact, I decided to get into health care, so I could take better care of her in the long run."
Wanting to understand the best possible way to help his child, Hargrove decided to go back to school so he could acquire the skills he needed to help at home.
"That's when I enrolled in nursing school, and that's what has gotten me to the point that I'm at today," Hargrove said. "That was my underlying motivation to get into the field."
Hargrove is set to graduate in December.
"I like working in ER or ICU scenarios but, of course, that may change with the opportunities that arise," he said. "One thing I do know I will be doing is work in any field that I can get experience in and then hopefully continuing my education in nursing."
Hargrove said he is proud of the work he has done in the Lincoln nursing school and is happy to have worked with such helpful and invested faculty.
"I can honestly say that what I've learned at Lincoln has prepared me for the things that I have been exposed to in a clinical setting," he said. "With education, it's what you put into it is what you're going to get out of it. If you want to put in 100 percent or 110 percent of yourself, the LU faculty's going to assist you on that and help you get the most out of your educational experience that they can and help create opportunities to fulfill the goals that you have."