Francis I. Benson - Future Nurse

(University of Texas Health Science Center)

              Francis received her Associate of Applied Science degree in Nursing and started her nursing profession as a travel nurse.  She is very grateful to her grandmother for raising her after her mother died from cancer.  Her childhood situation gave her the motivation to become the only person in her family to receive a college education.  She is currently enrolled at the Health Science Center Houston for her Bachelor's degree in Nursing, with the hope of entering the Masters program in December 2007.  At the age of 30, she will continue to work full-time at M.D. Anderson with the hope of advancing into management.  Francis is the recipient of the $1000 scholarship from Alicia  and Eric Jansen, who gifted this to the WBSN Foundation in memory of Philomena “Phyllis” Jansen, a dedicated RN and whom benefited from the nurse’s compassionate care at M.D. Anderson.

Lacey Bullen – Future Nurse

(Prairie View A&M University)

              Lacey, a second time winner, is single parent with boys ages 10 and 8, Lacey will be in the last semester of a clinic program.  She has been a volunteer as a summer camp leader at the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts, as a chaperone for the Quail Valley Church youth summer camp, Head Coach of Fort Bend YMCA youth basketball and a Red Cross volunteer.  She has worked for Texana Mental Health, Mental Retardation teaching life skills.  She balances her schedule with help from her parents.  Her obstacle has been finances.  Lacey will graduate in December 2007, work for two years and then continue on to graduate school.  She is also the Vice President of her class.

Rochelle Byrd - Nursing

(Prairie View A&M - College of Nursing)

              Rochelle plans to attend Prairie View A&M College of nursing in the Fall.  Rochelle has been accepted into Prairie View College of Nursing.  She received her Associates degree in May 2007 with a GPA of 3.248.  Rochelle is a single mother of a four year old.  She works, attends school, and is a mother.  She also still finds time to volunteer at her church.  She is responsible for starting a fundraiser recently called Helping a Healing Angel.  All the proceeds went directly to one family.  The mother had a terminal illness and Rochelle was responsible in helping the family receive $4,000.00.  Rochelle does not stop here.  She and her child go every other weekend to pick up trash in disadvantaged neighborhoods.  Rochelle wants her child to grow up helping others in their community, be responsible and become that well-rounded individual.

Nadia Campbell – Future Teacher

(University of Houston)

              Nadia, a second time winner, is a 30 year old mother of two who completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Houston in May 2007.  Her major was Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Psychology.  Her goal now is to teach elementary school and then become a counselor in the public school arena.  She will use her scholarship for a preparation course to qualify for the accelerated ACT Teaching Program.  She has been employed at the Harris County Probate Court for 7 ½ years.  From her glowing recommendations, it is obvious that she takes her job and studies seriously; but most of all, her children.  She found a way to purchase a home so her children could have a better life.  She volunteers in her children’s school PTO, works with foster children and with the youth department at her church.  She has not let anything stand in the way of finishing her education.

Amanda Crosby – Future Surgery Technician

(San Jacinto College – Central Campus)

              Amanda, who is a third-time winner, is working towards her Associate Science Degree in Surgical Technology, she was awarded a WBSN Scholarship in 2005 that enabled her to finish her prerequisites; she received the Karen Barfield Scholarship in 2006.  She will graduate from the Medical Tech Program in December.  Amanda has volunteered as a Mentor for Ladies of Excellence, a program dedicated to helping junior high young women gain self-confidence and pride.  She has also worked in an after-school program that provides an open library to students with computer access and research assistance.  She planned a Black History program, volunteered with City Wide Beach Clean Up and mentors Student Council.  Her husband’s numerous surgeries have left him unable to work.

Sheila Edwards - Chemical Dependency Counselor

(Houston Community College)

              Sheila is a 50 year old woman who has overcome many obstacles.  She is a recovering addict and is starting all over again at this late stage in her life.  To begin her road to recovery and to better herself, Sheila attended the Star Drug Court’s intervention program.  Star Drug Court gave her the tools to live life and become a productive member in society once again.  Sheila now works at Denny’s restaurant as a waitress.  A few years ago she attended Central Texas College pursuing a degree in business management.  Unfortunately, during her second semester she was unable to continue pursuing her goal.  In 2006, she attended Salvation Army Sally’s House and received a certificate in basic computer and receptionist training.  For the past 20 years she has been involved in various church ministries such as a building fundraiser, nursing homes and pantry ministries, accommodating the needy.  Her goal towards becoming a chemical dependency counselor is her desire and it is a way for her to give back to her community.

Erica S. Fowler - Teacher

(University of Houston-Downtown)

              Erica is blazing a new trail for herself and her family.  She is a second year winner of the WBSN scholarship. She is 29 and a single parent. She is the first of her family to go to college and is setting a great example for her two young children.  She has done much self- evaluation, and made changes necessary to pursue her love of learning and goals of becoming a teacher.  Erica’s role models are her ex-mother-in-law, who is now an Aldine Science teacher and a local attorney who shared her story of attending law school at the age of 40.  This altered Erica’s dream of enhancing her future even farther than college, by attending graduate school.  Erica’s plan is to teach in the Aldine Independent School District while she earns her Masters in Spanish and Criminal Justice.  Erica is a member of the Advance Literacy Program of Houston which assists Spanish speaking individuals in learning to read, write and speak English.  She will be graduating May 2008 with a Bachelor's degree in Spanish and a minor in English.

Cynthia Goble – Biology

(University of Houston)

              Cynthia is 44 years old and her ultimate goal is to become a Physician's Assistant at Baylor College of Medicine.  Currently she is enrolled at the University of Houston (honors program) majoring in biology.  When in high school she was in a serious auto accident and suffered a severe head injury and multiple other injuries.  That ended her basketball career which was on track for an athletic scholarship at the time.  She ultimately recovered and had a successful career, but was affected by corporate downsizing.  She moved to Houston where she was employed by Clear Channel Entertainment for a short time.  Through these experiences in the entertainment field, she realized that she needed to switch career directions which brings her to her current major.  She is currently unemployed and will not be allowed to work during the Physician's Assistant program as it is too demanding.  She will be depending on scholarships and grants for all her educational funding.  Cynthia is a very capable woman and consistently achieves what she set out to accomplish.

Deirdre Herrera - Teacher/Probation Officer

(Houston Community College)

              Deirdre, age 25, received The Professional Group scholarship last year to pay for courses required for an Administrative/Secretarial certification program at Houston Community College.  She has passed two of the three parts, and will sit for the third later this year.  After visiting last year with other scholarship recipients, she decided to expand her dreams and go after her Bachelor’s degree.  Deirdre is exploring requirements to become an ESL teacher and possibly a probation officer for youth.  She is currently working at Village Plumbing with a former WBSN member, and is also taking care of her mother who recently had back surgery.  This single mother’s confidence and determination were clearly visible this year.  She will use her $1,000 scholarship to continue her studies.

Kimberly James - Nursing

(Prairie View A&M)

              Kimberly is currently attending Prairie View A&M to obtain her baccalaureate degree in nursing.  She would like to continue on to get her masters and doctorate in nursing and eventually become a nurse educator.  She would like to eventually start a foundation for Minority Juvenile Diabetes and Childhood Obesity.  Kimberly does community service projects with the Fort Bend Black Nurses Association.  She is also a volunteer with the American Red Cross and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.  She is the President of her class, and was recently inducted into the National Scholastic Honor Society.  Kimberly will be working in the Human Simulation Lab at the College of Nursing in the Fall.

Elsy S. John - Nurse

(University of Houston - Victoria)

              Elsy received her diploma in General Nursing while in Kerala, India.  When she came to the United States over 17 years ago, she had to start over in her nursing education.  She received an Associate Nursing diploma while she was in New Jersey; however, she wanted to further her nursing career.  Elsy is married with two sons and a daughter and is currently is the sole breadwinner for her family.  While she pursues the accelerated BSN program at the University of Houston, she will continue to work full-time at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.  At the age of 40, she realizes that the nursing profession is a perfect match to her personality and her goals, allowing her the ability to fulfill her lifelong dream of making a significant impact on our society.

Theresa McCann - Chemical Dependency Counselor

(Houston Community College)

              Theresa is a first-time recipient of a WBSN Foundation Scholarship and will be using the funds to attend Houston Community College for Health & Science for the Fall 2007 semester.  Theresa intends to become a licensed chemical dependency counselor so she can continue her work in reaching out to others who are suffering from alcohol and drug dependence.  She started this work through her own recovery program, her church, and Bridges to Life, a prison ministry in which she has been involved for a couple of years.  Her determination and commitment to improving herself are evident in her having earned a GED after leaving school in the 9th grade, taking college courses until she could not longer afford them, starting her own house cleaning business, and moving into her own apartment last year.  Theresa is very grateful to all the people who have assisted her in setting and reaching her goals.  As Theresa has improved her own life circumstances, she has felt a strong desire to help others in need, particularly those struggling with addiction.

Phyllis L. Nealy - Social Worker

(HCC or Texas Southern University)

              Phyllis is a 55 year old woman and works part-time as a Counselor Intern and has been attending school full-time since August of 2003.  She has overcome many obstacles and still has a few to go.  Phyllis was a drug addict for 25 years and has been sober for 7 years.  She believes that the more she works toward becoming a fruitful member of society, the better her choices become.  Phyllis’ goal is to have a Master’s degree in Social Work and awaits the day she can present herself to an employer  having been prepared to be a valued asset to their organization and be on her own.  Phyllis’ accomplishments include, Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor, Associated degree in Human Services, Dean’s List, Honor’s List and maintaining a 3.4 GPA.  She will be graduating from Houston Community College on the Summer of 2007 and has pre-enrolled at Texas Southern University in the Social Work program.  It is also her goal to help families mend.

Gay Nowlin - Nurse

(Kingwood College)

              Gay is 43 years old and has the distinction of being a three-time WBSN scholarship recipient.  Her road has not been easy.  Her husband has pulmonary disease and her son Sam, who is 7 years old, is Autistic.  She will be the family breadwinner.  Somehow, she continues to receive high grades of A’s and B’s, while working and taking care of her family.  Gay is starting her second semester of nursing school.  In her limited “free” time, she also mentors families with children who have special needs.  Geriatrics is a field that has been a passion of Gay’s.  Recently she has accepted a part-time position as a caregiver of an 82 year old stroke victim to help support her husband’s income.

LaKesha Randle - Guidance Counselor

(Houston Community College)

              LaKesha has been working contract at Shell Oil Company via Kelly Services as an administrative assistant for the past seven years. She had to stop her studies at University of Houston-Downtown when she had her son who is now three.  Along with her little boy, LaKesha is raising her two young cousins, ages 9 and 11.  She will use The Professional Group’s scholarship of $1,000.00 to return to school and begin earning her Associates Degree in Psychology at Houston Community College with the goal of becoming an elementary school guidance counselor.

Loretta Lynn Sols – Chemical Dependency Counselor

(Houston Community College)

              Loretta is a 31 years old and dropped out of school in the sixth grade.  She became involved with the “wrong crowd” and was then introduced to drugs and alcohol.  Last year she decided that she had enough of this way of life and wanted to better herself.  She went into a transitional recovery based living facility where she began to address her alcoholism.  Loretta also acquired computer knowledge and some life skills and was able to successfully complete the program this past February.  She has earned a GED and now lives at Bridget's Hope where she is learning to become independent and to stay sober.  Loretta’s current employer is Merchandise Collections where she has worked for the last nine months.  It is Loretta’s goal to become a chemical dependency counselor through the program at Houston Community College.  Her long range goal is to assist others in turning their past mistakes into assets instead of liabilities.  Community activities include volunteering at Salvation Army’s Sally House. She is a member of a local church.  Loretta regularly attends AA meetings which is a serious commitment to her.

Sharon Swaby – Special Education Expert

(Prairie View)

              Sharon Swaby came to the United States from Jamaica in 2004 to be a Special Education student at Prairie View, where she is now a senior.  She currently works 20 hours per week at Prairie View, where she will use her funds.  She taught for six years in Jamaica and hopes to continue as a graduate student at Texas A&M.  Her goal is to train teachers.  She may stay in the United States if she obtains a job here; otherwise she will return to Jamaica to be a Special Education Expert.  As a non-citizen, Sharon’s money has come from a private source. 

Sheryl Thomas - Media Design

(The Art Institute of Houston)

              Sheryl Thomas plans to attend The Art Institute of Houston in the Fall.  She is a single mother of one daughter, Teauna.  Sheryl enlisted in the United States Navy after graduating from high school.  After leaving the service, she went to work for a Commercial Real Estate Firm.  In the Research and Marketing department that she found her creative side, and created a Brochure for the firm.  Sheryl knew in order to advance in the company, she would need a degree.  Sheryl completed her Associates Degree recently.  She is now working as a Marketing Manager and plans to go to school full time at the Art Institute of Houston.  She wants to lead by example to teach her daughter the importance of a college education. 

Nancy Turney - Court Reporter

(Alvin Community College)

              Nancy has a mission to totally change her path in life.  After she divorced she moved to Texas where her daughter lives.  Nancy, who has been an administrative assistant for 30 years, began studying at the Court Reporting Institute of Houston in July 2006.  By December 2006, she was doing well in the school but her debt became overwhelming.  She transferred to the court reporting program at the Alvin Community College in the Spring of 2007.  Her goal is to become proficient in office administration.  Nancy will use her $1,000.00 TPG scholarship to continue her education.

Maria Valdizan-Garcia - Nurse Practitioner

(University of Texas)

              A third time WBSN scholarship recipient, Maria and her husband have four children.  She is from Peru, where she was an M.D.  She first went to the School of Public Health and graduated from the School of Nursing last June.  Utilizing her education, she has been working at MD Anderson Cancer Center.  She made the decision to become a Nurse Practitioner and is making great inroad towards her goal.

Patricia Weatherspoon-Hall - Christian Counseling

(Houston Graduate School of Theology)

              Patricia, who is 37, is currently working at CanCare.  Patricia received The Professional Group scholarship last year to begin working towards a Masters degree in Christian Counseling, she has completed two semesters at Houston Graduate School of Theology.  Patricia is the major breadwinner in a family with two sons.  She will use her $2,000.00 in funds to continue her Master’s Program.

Kristin White - Nursing

(University of Texas School of Nursing)

              Kristin is 25 and recently worked at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center as a Research Data Coordinator until she decided to follow her dream of becoming a nurse.  While Kristin was in high school, her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and the caring nurses at M.D. Anderson helped her mother tremendously during that difficult time.  This experience cemented Kristin’s decision to become a healthcare professional.  She received a B.S. degree in Genetics from Texas A&M and is currently enrolled in the University of Texas School of Nursing’s accelerated BSN program.  Kristin will be graduating in May 2008.  With her organizational and people skills, she will be a successful student and effective nurse.  Her desire is to stay in the oncology field when she graduates from school.

Maria Zarzoza - ESL Teacher

(North Harris Community College)

              Maria is currently working full time as an ESL (English as a Second Language) paraprofessional at Aldine Grade School.  She plans on finishing her degree at the University of Houston and is six classes away from her Associates degree.  Maria attributes the WBSN scholarship she received in 2005 for helping her achieve the President’s list.  She is a mentor of ladies of Excellence, an organization that mentors young women to believe in themselves, become strong, confident and successful.  She also tutors ESL students in a Cooperative for After-School Enrichment program, translates in parent meetings, makes flyers and assists in classes to help the parents learn English and use a computer.  She is a member of the Paraprofessional Association and is the main car provider for her father.