(L-R) Brandon Martin, Pete McNair (representing daughter Kayla McNair), Kearsten Shaw, Logan Virgilio, EJ Ray and Keon Barney.

Memorial Hospital Announces Burdonne Young Scholarship Recipients

GULFPORT, Miss. The Memorial Hospital Foundation has announced the winners of the 2019 Burdonne Young Scholarships at a reception on July 19. The scholarships are named in honor of the late Burdonne Young, affectionately known as “Ms. Memorial.” Ms. Young was a nurse for Memorial for over 50 years. These scholarships are awarded annually to dependents of Memorial employees who will be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student at a college or university in the fall or are currently enrolled as a full-time undergraduate or graduate student at a college or university.

Memorial Hospital Foundation selects six candidates to receive the Burdonne Young Scholarships. The Scholarships are made possible by the estate of Ms. Young and Memorial employees who donate funds through the Foundation Employee Campaign to the Burdonne Young Scholarship Fund. Since 2001, 84 individuals have been awarded $51,000 in scholarships from the Burdonne Young Scholarship Fund.

The 2019 scholarship recipients are as follows:

Brandon Martin. Brandon attends the University of Alabama where he majors in Computer Engineering and maintains a 3.31 GPA. He also scored a 34 on the ACT.

Kayla McNair. Kayla attended D’Iberville High School where she attained a 4.0 GPA and scored a 28 on the ACT. She plans to attend MGCCC in the fall majoring in Nursing and minoring in Spanish.

Kearsten Shaw. Kearsten attended Hancock High School where she attained a 4.4 GPA and scored a 31 on the ACT. She plans to attend Mississippi State University in the fall majoring in Biology Education with a focus in Pre-Occupational Therapy. 

Logan Virgilio. Logan attends MGCCC where he majors in Nursing and maintains a 3.38 GPA. He also scored a 24 on the ACT. He plans to attend William Carey Nursing School in the winter.

Elijah Michael “EJ” Ray. EJ attends The University of the South (Sewanee) where he majors in Psychology and maintains a 3.08 GPA. He also scored a 24 on the ACT.

Keon Barney. Keon attended Harrison Central High School where he attained a 4.01 GPA and scored a 33 on the ACT. He plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania in the fall majoring in Business, International Studies.

Memorial Hospital Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization with the mission to assist Memorial Hospital in “building a healthier community.” In particular, to develop philanthropic support for Memorial Hospital, Memorial Hospital patients and the surrounding community and to generate a high level of community understanding and involvement in Memorial Hospital’s vision, mission, goals and objectives. For more information on the Memorial Hospital Foundation, contact Foundation President Aimee Robertson at 228-865-3051.

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