Courtnee Nicholson, of Fenwick, is thankful for extra financial assistance that allowed her to focus more on college and less on how to pay for it.

Nicholson was awarded the Montcalm Community College Foundation Michael J. Seaman Memorial Scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year.

“Receiving this scholarship allowed me to purchase materials needed for my state exam as well as materials to help me study. It lifted a lot of extra stress off my shoulders,” she said. “I was able to take more time to study versus trying to work more to pay my bills.”

Nicholson expects to earn her Registered Nursing Associate Degree and Nursing Professional Track A.A.S. this month from MCC, where she also completed the Long-Term Care Nurse Assistant Job Training Program in 2019.

She currently works at Spectrum Health United Hospital in Greenville and will continue as a full-time ICU nurse.

“I have been at United for three years and during that time, I floated all departments – ICU, ER and OB,” she said. “I am really thankful to be there and to work in ICU – it’s one of my favorite areas.”

Nicholson said being a scholarship recipient came at a time when she really needed more time to focus on her coursework.

“I was able to pay for an online tutoring website just for nursing students,” she said. “That really helped me get through this last semester and pay for my state board exam.

“It was a busy semester juggling classes, 80 hours of clinicals, and preparing to take the state board exam to get my nursing license,” she added. “I would say this semester was the best to get a scholarship.”

Nicholson is not new to MCC. She earned college credits while a student at Central Montcalm High School through dual enrollment.

“I have been at MCC on and off since 2015,” she said.

An accomplished athlete, Nicholson’s path just out of high school took her to three other colleges to play softball. When a shoulder injury and multiple surgeries left her unable to play softball, she refocused her energy on completing her degree in nursing, leading her back to her hometown and MCC.

“I had a lot of credits at MCC, and when I decided I wanted to go into nursing, I looked at MCC’s program. It’s a good program and maybe a little faster than other options,” she said. “It was also more affordable for me.”

When the state shut-down in 2020 due to COVID, Nicholson was already working at Spectrum Health United Hospital. Thus, she qualified for retraining under the state’s Futures for Frontliners program, which provided a tuition-free pathway to attend college for Michigan adults without a college degree who provided essential services during the shut-down.

Now age 24, Nicholson said although her educational journey took a few turns, “it worked out really well in the long run.”

Media contact:
Shelly Springborn
Director of Communications and Public Relations
shellys@montcalm.edu
989-560-0833