The Fall 2018 class of Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH) Scholars includes students from all over the region, in various stages of life with one common goal – to make a difference in healthcare throughout Appalachia. Twice a year, students from across the region are invited to apply for the ARH Scholars program. Recipients are awarded a $5,000 academic scholarship to pursue a degree in healthcare.
Sarah Hoskins grew up in a family full of medical professionals. From a young age her family instilled the importance of working in the healthcare field and the impact they make every day. Her mother, great aunt and cousin all work for ARH. It’s only fitting that Sarah carry on her family’s ARH connection as an ARH Scholar.
“I have a lot of family members who work at ARH, so growing up seeing them helping so many people and enjoying their jobs really inspired me to do the same,” she says.
She graduated from Belle County High School and is now a sophomore nursing major at Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) where she is also on the cheerleading team. She is from Middlesboro, Kentucky, where she lives with her father who is a teacher at Yellow Creek School Center, her mother who works for Middlesboro ARH, her brother, and their poodle named Pepper. Spending her entire life in the Eastern Kentucky area has fostered a passion for the community she calls home.
Sarah originally learned about the ARH Scholars program from her mother. She saw a flyer for the program posted at Middlesboro ARH during one of her shifts and encouraged Sarah to apply.
“I felt really relieved and extremely excited when I found out I was an ARH Scholar. I think this program is a wonderful thing that allows students to stress less about the financial aspect of school and focus more on their future careers so they can be the best they can be on their career path.”
“The scholars are selected by the ARH Scholars Judging Committee,” says Danya Anderson, ARH Scholars Coordinator. “Once I receive the applications, I prepare them to be sent to the committee by making them a ‘blind’ application, which makes it fair for each applicant. The Scholars award is paid in two installments of $2,500 directly to the school. One is payable after verification and the other is paid the following year. For this round, we had 73 applicants with 10 finalists awarded.”
Aside from her family’s extensive medical field background, Sarah’s passion for nursing was sparked after a deeply personal experience with an incredible team of nurses.
“I chose nursing for many reasons, but the main reason is because I saw how nurses at Middlesboro ARH helped my late grandmother through her battle with cancer,” she says. “They were really comforting and treated her with the utmost respect. It really showed me how much of an impact they can have on someone’s life. I want to be that for someone.”
Sarah is excited for the opportunity to make a lasting impact in Eastern Kentucky. After her graduation in 2021 she hopes to obtain a position as a registered nurse, possibly with ARH. She says she is open to furthering her education to become a Nurse Anesthetist and is excited to see where her career takes her.
