USM Nursing Student Receives Northington Memorial Scholarship

University of Southern Mississippi nursing student Tamecia Herbert has been awarded The Hiawatha and Eunice Northington Memorial Scholarship.

Herbert, a native of Crystal Springs, Miss., is enrolled in USM's post-graduate Nurse Family Parternship program and currently works at the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery V.A. Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., as a registered nurse. The scholarship is administered through the Mississippi Nurses Foundation.

“I'm honored to receive this scholarship,” Herbert said. “It will be a great help to me as I complete my program, and I look forward to giving back in honor of the Northington family through my work in geriatric nursing.”

This scholarship was established by LaDonna Northington, Monica Northington and Hiawatha Northington II, the children of Mr. Hiawatha and Mrs. Eunice Northington. Both Mr. and Mrs. Northington were skilled educators who were dedicated to their craft and who believed in the power of a good education.

Mr. Northington was a high school teacher with a love of science and math. He had an outgoing personality and was loved by all his students. Mrs. Northington was an elementary school teacher who loved English and “words.” She was a warm and humorous spirit, and no one who ever met her ever forgot her.

In their later years, both Mr. and Mrs. Northington experienced complex health problems, which required interaction with health care professionals and coordination across the continuum of care. The scholarship established in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Northington is designed to assist nurse or nurse practitioner students who will work with geriatric clients to assure excellence of medical care to these patients in their sunset years.