CoxHealth rural hospitals come together to offer health care scholarships

Two of CoxHealth’s rural hospitals, Cox Monett and Cox Barton, recently came together during halftime of the Monett Cubs vs. Lamar Tigers high school football game, to award the inaugural “Health Professionals of the Future” scholarships with the CoxHealth Foundation.  

Two students from each of the represented schools were selected based on their current GPA, an essay, and two references from a teacher, coach, or community member.

The selected students demonstrated a determination to serve others in the future through their passion for pursuing a career in health professions. CoxHealth aims to provide the very best in health care, so it's important to find the very best health professionals to deliver that care. The goal is to give the next generation of providers a helping hand on their journey.

Monett High School

Sarah Negre: After high school, Sarah plans to study nursing and work toward a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. In her essay, she says, “My goal is to advocate for people who are not able to advocate for themselves.”

Sonnie Ferguson Winfrey:  Sonnie is focusing on a future as a physical therapist. In her essay, Sonnie shared, “I want to be able to aid patients to be able to live their best life possible.”

Lamar High School

Roxy Sprouls: Roxy is looking forward to pursuing a career in respiratory therapy. In her essay, Roxy shared, “A personal experience with a respiratory therapist who helped a patient through breathing issues inspired me. Knowing I could help people and potentially save them made me want to go in this direction.”

Katie Shields: Katie is passionate about pursuing a career in the dental field. In her essay, Katie says, "I don't want people to see going to the dentist as a chore, but rather, I want to make them feel welcome and see themselves as a new person walking out of the office with a bright smile, knowing they took care of their health."

Many thanks to all the applicants and CoxHealth physicians Drs. Ronda Azelton, Beau Bounous, and Jeremy Sturgell for matching the scholarship funds from the CoxHealth Foundation.