Hinds CC nursing student awarded annual McCulloch Scholarship
JANS – Unlike a lot of students in Hinds Community College’s nursing program, N’Kyah Kendrick of Jackson doesn’t have a family legacy as inspiration for a medical career.
However, it is love of family that is inspiring her to initiate a career as a nurse practitioner in a part of the state that most needs quality healthcare.
Kendrick, 19, of Jackson is receiving some financial help toward that goal as the winner of the 2025 annual Carla McCulloch Scholarship that will pay her tuition at the Nursing Allied Health Center for the 2025-2026 academic year.
“I just figured the best way to learn (about medicine) is to go do it,” she said. “I love the compassion that a nurse has. I thought becoming a nurse would be a good stepping stone then going up to nurse practitioner.
“One day I do want to have my own private practice in a rural area to help the people that are less fortunate because that’s how my family was. I want to give back,” Kendrick said.
She has already been accepted into the University of Mississippi Medical Center nurse practitioner program. A 4.0 GPA student, Kendrick said she has received a lot of support from Hinds nursing faculty members.
“I wouldn’t have gotten this far without them. They’re always willing to stop what they’re doing to catch me up to speed if I have any questions,” she said.
The Carla McCulloch Scholarship has been given to a second semester Associate Degree Nursing student since 1991. It was created by her parents, Larry and Carol McCulloch, formerly of Magee but now residents of Roanoke, Va. Carla graduated high school from Simpson Academy and was a Hinds nursing student at the time of her death in an April 1991 accident.
