Deena Collins Memorial Scholarship

Death has a specific smell, one that permeates every corner, and one that forever lives in the back of your mind. The first time I smelled it, I was standing behind my grandad in the back of the old barn watching him pull a breech calf. My four-year-old hands were shaking from the brisk fall air, and my eyes began to swell with sadness as I watched the calf lie lifeless on the ground. From that day on, I knew I wanted to save lives. If you had asked me from the age of four to fifteen what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have answered "veterinarian" without missing a beat. I had lived my whole life on a ranch and had a front row seat to the beauty and the horrific tragedies that come with it. However, over the past two years, through my job at a local boutique, community service, and school activities, I have come to realize that these tragedies don’t just occur on farms and ranches; they also happen to our friends, our family, and anyone in between. My name is Maggie Peterson, and I am from Broken Bow, Nebraska. I live about twenty miles east of town, on my family farm and ranch, and I have resided there since I was four. I am actively involved in many extracurricular activities, including speech,band, NHS, NBHS, Tri-M, FBLA, 4-H, track, and many more community service activities. This year I am interning at the local hospital, and this experience has been what has solidified my passion for healthcare. Next year, I plan to attend the University of South Dakota and major in health sciences, to eventually go on to get my Doctor of Occupational Therapy. In my small town, it is a minimum of a sixty mile drive to see a specialist such as an oncologist, orthopedic surgeon, or even receive postpartum care. And if you've ever met a rancher, they would tell you they have no time in the day to make the drive multiple times to either receive the care, or a post op checkup. The wives of farmers and ranchers are usually responsible for making these appointments and transporting either themselves, their children, or their husbands to these appointments. Taking off work to receive necessary procedures is one thing, but having to take excessive work off to drive to post op care, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and monthly check-ups, is no longer feasible. Working in the hospital, my compassion for these patients has continued to grow. After getting my degree in Occupational Therapy, I hope to return to Broken Bow to provide rehabilitation services locally; hopefully making our busy community members more likely to receive the care they need. Our farmers and ranchers spend their lives providing care to their livestock, so it is crucial that we do everything we can to provide more convenient and affordable care for them.

My name is Miranda, and I am a first-generation Mexican-American student currently pursuing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Midland University. I also work as a Certified Nursing Assistant, gaining hands-on experience in patient care while continuing my education. I come from a family of immigrants and hard workers. People who have taught me that faith, perseverance, and compassion are some of the most powerful tools a woman can carry. Growing up in a rural community, I saw the quiet strength of women everywhere. I saw mothers juggling full-time jobs while caring for their children and elderly parents. I saw women who worked in fields, factories, and homes, who always put others first, often at the cost of their own health. My mother, one of the strongest women I know, often reminded me, “Dios está en todas partes.” God is in every corner of our lives in the blessings, in the struggles, and in the work we do for others. That message has shaped my values and the nurse I am becoming. I am passionate about making a positive impact in rural areas because I’ve witnessed the gaps in care that so many people, especially women, face. In small towns, healthcare access can mean long drives, language barriers, financial strain, or limited appointment availability. For women who are often the caretakers of the family, those challenges multiply. Some go without preventative care, mental health support, or reproductive services because they simply can’t access or afford them. I want to help change that. My goal is to return to a rural community as a registered nurse and provide direct, culturally competent care to the women who are so often overlooked. I plan to work in community clinics or hospitals where I can provide bilingual care, health education, and emotional support. I want to be the nurse who explains things clearly, who listens without rushing, and who treats every woman with the dignity and respect she deserves. Whether she’s coming in for a routine checkup or for something much more serious. I also hope to be involved in outreach efforts like mobile health clinics and educational workshops, especially in Spanish-speaking communities. Many women I grew up around avoided healthcare because of fear, embarrassment, or previous bad experiences. I want to be part of rebuilding trust between patients and providers, offering support not just as a nurse, but as someone who understands where they’re coming from. Mental health is another area I’m passionate about. As someone who lives with anxiety, I understand how overwhelming it can feel to ask for help. In rural areas, where resources are limited and stigma is still strong, many women suffer in silence. I want to help change that by creating spaces where women feel safe talking about their emotional health, and by connecting them with the care they deserve. This scholarship would not only help relieve financial stress, but also allow me to dedicate more time to my studies and service work. Every bit of support I receive now helps me give back in greater ways in the future. Rural women are the heart of their communities. They work hard, love deeply, and sacrifice daily but they shouldn’t have to do it alone. I plan to stand with them, serve them, and uplift them through healthcare that honors who they are and where they come from.

My name is Macy Lennemann, a senior at Franklin Public Schools. I have lived on my family’s farm and ranch since I was born, where I learned the value of hard work. Whether feeding hay bales or waking up at 3 a.m. to check heifers during calving season, I have always embraced responsibility. I am 18 years old, one of four children, with an older brother and sister, and a younger sister. I have been involved in sports since the third grade, playing volleyball and basketball. I have been on the varsity teams since my freshman year. I was voted captain of both teams as a sophomore and that carried on through my senior year. Being captain brought responsibility, as my teammates often turned to me with their problems. As the leader, I had to maintain a positive attitude, whether on or off the court. In addition to sports, I am involved in the National Honor Society, Student Council, FFA, Future Problem Solvers, and band. I have been a member of the National Honor Society since my sophomore year and became Vice President my senior year. I have been in the Student Council since seventh grade and serve as Vice President. In FFA, I help organize events like the annual blood drive and the parade of lights. I have participated in Future Problem Solvers since fifth grade, where I have developed important thinking skills. As I approach the end of high school, I have been reflecting on my future. Initially interested in agriculture, I realized in my junior year that my passion lies in the medical field. The decision was shaped by the loss of my aunt, Theresa, who passed away after an 18-year battle with cancer. Her journey inspired me to pursue a career as a radiation therapist, where I can provide hope and comfort to cancer patients through targeted radiation therapy. This experience has shaped who I am and the person I strive to become. As for supporting women in rural areas, I plan to encourage women my age and even women older than me to pursue their dreams. No matter how difficult they may seem, chase them, believe in them, and achieve them. Everyone is more capable of things than they believe they are. I would focus on initiatives that empower women through education, skill-building, and access to resources that foster both personal and professional growth. Rural women often face unique challenges, but by addressing these needs, I could help create a more equitable environment where women can thrive. One way to do this would be to partner with my local organizations to offer educational programs to focus on practical skills that could help women in rural areas build more sustainable businesses, improve their quality of life, and contribute to their communities. Coming from a small town that is agriculturally based, I would help advocate for improving infrastructure so that women can access education and work opportunities without different barriers holding them back. By investing in women in rural communities, I could create a rippling effect, influencing these women to chase their dreams. Empowering women not only benefits them, but also their families and the broader community.

My name is Emma Kreutner, and I am from Valentine, Nebraska. I live in the north-central portion of Cherry County, with my town being the biggest in the county with under 3,000 people. I currently work as a night CNA at our local assisted and independent living faculty and plan on working in a rural area as a nurse. From a young age, I have had a special pull towards medicine and the medical field. This stemmed from seeing my father work as a Medication Aide at the assisted and independent faculty I work in now. This inspired me to start my journey in Healthcare, and this began when I was in the sixth grade. During my first year of middle school, my grandparents moved to Valentine and required round-the-clock care and I would walk to their apartment after school. I would take care of both of them on my own until 1630 when my mom would get off of work. This showed me that I had a unique calling in life, which was Healthcare. As time passed, so did my grandparents but my calling did not. I was able to become a board-certified nursing aide during my junior year of high school. The next few months were spent applying and interviewing for my first official job in the field. I was given a job as a night CNA at the same assisted and independent living home that my dad worked out. I was beyond excited to work and start my career in rural healthcare. As my senior year began, so did my college search. I have chosen to go to South Dakota State University and major in Nursing. I have decided to focus my studies in more rural healthcare and rural nursing because there is a significant underservice in rural communities for local nurses. In my town, we are the central hospital for Cherry County and I have seen firsthand the lack of local nurses. Any time I am in the hospital there is a significant deficiency in local nurses in comparison to the traveling ones I see. By choosing to go into rural medicine, you must have a vast knowledge of numerous different areas of medicine. This fact often deters those from going into rural medicine, and the lack of popular shops and stores to use. Being from a rural area, I have learned more about medicine than I ever imagined I would. By being from a small town, I can use that small-town knowledge in other areas to help increase the number of local rural nurses.

In the middle of a frigid February night, I found myself ankle-deep in a creek, gripping the calving chain of a heifer in labor. It was calving season, and my dad and I were doing everything we could to assist this exhausted mother in delivering her first calf. As she pushed and I pulled, the crisp, cold air filled our lungs. Despite the discomfort, I knew that ensuring the safety of both mother and baby was paramount. Growing up on a beef cattle ranch in Kansas, I witnessed the challenges faced by my family and community in accessing quality healthcare. All of my mother’s pregnancies were high-risk with pre-eclampsia with significant edema and sepsis with chorioamnionitis; due to the lack of OB care in the area, she had to travel hours for every appointment, costing her time, increasing family burden, and causing unfamiliarity with the provider and birthplace of her children. The scarcity of specialty care, financial difficulties, and limited local healthcare services acted as barriers to continuous care in my community, leading to detrimental repercussions for patients. Witnessing the outcomes of these patients fueled my determination to become an obstetrician and provide high-risk OB care to patients who otherwise would not receive this until the time of delivery. Throughout my medical education, I pursued experiences that allowed me to serve rural communities and gain insights into their unique healthcare challenges. From volunteering at JayDoc, a free medical student-run clinic, to working in a rural clinic through STORM, an elective summer clinical experience that focuses on rural medicine, I have sought opportunities to address the immediate needs of these communities and develop a comprehensive understanding of their healthcare landscape. During my OBGYN clerkship, my passion for women's health and high-risk pregnancy care continued to develop. Guiding patients through difficult labor to safe deliveries, mastering the technical aspects of gynecologic surgery, and educating women on fundamental aspects of their health provided immense satisfaction. It continues to be evident that the practice I envision for my future will help address the disparities in access to care for rural women. I am eager to contribute to the field of obstetrics and gynecology, bridging the gap in access to quality care for underserved populations. Through compassionate and comprehensive care, I aim to make a lasting impact on the lives of women and their families, empowering them to navigate the transformative journey of pregnancy and ensuring the delivery of safe and healthy babies. The memory of that night, watching the heifer’s final push and subsequent birth of a healthy calf, has etched in my mind a constant reminder of the privilege it is to be entrusted with the care of both mother and baby. I am ready to embrace the challenges and rewards that lie ahead in my pursuit of becoming a skilled and compassionate OBGYN serving in rural, underserved areas.