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IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO GIVE BACK SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT ANNISA KILBURY RETURNS THE FAVOR
For over a year now, Annisa Kilbury, RN, has been caring for patients on 8 South at McLaren Flint. But before earning the all-important initials after her name, she spent five years learning the ropes as a clerk on the same floor.
"I was attending nursing school at the University of Michigan-Flint and working as a unit clerk when I heard about the employee scholarship program. I applied for it, and I got it," said Kilbury, 26. "It came at a time when my student loans were piling up and getting that scholarship meant I would have less debt hanging over my head." It was the experience she gained as a unit clerk, processing physicians' orders, that helped her decide to pursue a nursing degree. Her work ethic and demeanor all but ensured her a position back on 8 South after graduation.
Now, employed as an RN with her education under her belt, it recently occurred to Kilbury that she could give a hand up to someone else going through financial challenges. So she did what very few young professionals might do their first year out of college - she returned the favor. "I could, so I did," she said of her decision to give a financial gift back to the employee scholarship fund.
"Because I worked at McLaren, I watched the employee scholarship program with interest, and hoped it would be there for me one day when I needed it. And it was, so I feel it is important to keep it going," she said.
This third-shift nurse said she loves caring for patients, and is pleased to be working at McLaren where she feels appreciated for her expertise and her efforts. The McLaren family of employees, along with the patients she meets each day, have made Kilbury feel that she is in the right place and have reinforced her decision to support ongoing education for others in the community. When she is not working, the Flint resident spends time with her Shih Tzu puppy and enjoys designing handmade jewelry - something she also plans to share with others. |