Surrounded by her Associate Degree Nursing classmates, N’kyah Kendrick of Jackson learned she won the annual Carla McCulloch Scholarship.
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.
Instead, it was the lack of knowledge in her family that inspired her to begin her studies that she hopes will earn her a career as a family nurse practitioner in a part of the state that most needs her.
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.
The family requests that a student receiving the scholarship exhibit the same kind of passion and personality as Carla, who was also known for her bubbly personality and quirky sense of humor.
“Although Carla’s time here on with us on Earth was too short, we are blessed to know that her impact on others continues to this day. The scholarship has been awarded for over 30 years to some of the best, brightest and, most importantly, compassionate people to ever practice the nursing profession,” said Carla’s sister Mandy Graybill in a written statement.
“It is truly a comfort to know that in some way, my sister has been able to fulfill her dream of nursing, even if it has been through the care and compassion n and hands provided by others,” she said.
N’Kyah Kendrick of Jackson, center, was awarded the annual Carla McCulloch Scholarship given to a second semester Associate Degree Nursing Student at Hinds Community College each year. She is with Hinds nursing faculty including Director of Associate Degree Nursing Brittany Meacham, ADN Instructor Taylor Hawk, ADN Instructor Whitney Nesbit, ADN Instructor Carmen Rogers, Vice President and Executive Director of the Hinds Community College Foundation Matt Jones, ADN Instructor Irish Patrick-Williams and ADN Instructor Justin Whatley.
Brittany Meacham, Director of Associate Degree Nursing at Hinds, said the nursing faculty is grateful to the McCulloch family for the scholarship. “It means the world having these types of scholarships and support for our students,” she said.
To learn more about the nursing program available at Hinds visit the website at hindscc.edu/pathways/health-sciences/associate-degree-nursing
N’Kyah Kendrick of Jackson, center, was awarded the annual Carla McCulloch Scholarship given to a second semester Associate Degree Nursing Student at Hinds Community College each year. She is with friends and family including, from left, Marquis Thigpen, grandmother Robbin Simmons, mom Shamalitea McGee, dad Darrell Kendrick and grandmother Bonita McGee.