KPSF ANONYMOUS NURSING SCHOLARSHIP
In January of 2021 the Knoxville Panther Scholarship Foundation established a unique partnership with a retired nurse who wished to support KHS graduates entering the nursing field but desired to remain anonymous to the students to whom she would be providing financial aid.
In the past five years eleven KHS graduates who have received scholarship funds from this donor have graduated and begun their nursing careers. Nine additional KHS graduates are currently receiving financial aid while pursuing their nursing degrees. To date, over one quarter million dollars has been awarded to KHS nursing students by this donor.
Scholarship recipients maintain regular correspondence and updates with their anonymous donor concerning their class schedules, nursing experiences and family activities by sending cards, letters and emails to the Foundation. The Foundation then passes these communications on to the donor.
This Spring, four of the anonymous donor’s scholarship recipients graduated with their nursing degrees. Please join us for a four-part series, telling the stories of the impact these scholarships have had on the recipients and the gratitude they each share for their donor.
DELANEY MART
I am blessed to be able to talk about my anonymous donor and all the amazing things she has done for me throughout my nursing school years. The Knoxville Panther Scholarship Foundation helped me in so many ways during the years I was in school and truthfully if I did not have that support I do not think I would have made it through nursing school. With the support that was given to me throughout these years it helped me be able to focus more on school, homework and studying rather than working and taking time away from school and studying as nursing school is very hard and very demanding.
The relationship with my anonymous donor was a lot different compared to when you know who was donating to you. For me it meant the world to me that she did all of this for us without ever telling us who she was and doing such amazing things for the nursing school community without anybody ever knowing. At the same time I have always wanted to know who she is or talk with her personally and be able to tell her thank you personally, but I know she got all my thank you emails and she knows how thankful I truthfully am.
The way we would communicate with her would be we would either send emails to Curt or letters in the mail to Curts house and then he would share these on with her. Though I never got to meet my donor or know who she is, I am so incredibly thankful for her and all that she has done for me, words couldn't describe how grateful I really am. If it wasn't for her and the Knoxville Panther Scholarship Foundation I would not have this degree and be able to live out my dreams.
My plans for the future is to continue to work in the clinic with Dr. Dvorak and learn more and more about nursing. I also plan on getting a PRN job for bedside nursing so I can keep those skills up as well as the clinic side of nursing and have those skills stay fresh as well.
JULIAN BACON
KPSF has been a wonderful resource to earn scholarships all the way from high school graduation to completing a four year college degree. KPSF has a very smooth and organized system that takes one application and automatically considers you for any scholarship you qualify for. Having this organization built into KCSD with such a wide variety of donors shows the investment the community has in supporting the education of Knoxville graduates.
The anonymous nursing scholarship has been such a unique experience. Over the last three years I have mailed numerous letters and emailed updates to share my school experiences. I have enjoyed sending letters in the mail including pictures and updates regarding my education. This scholarship has made a huge impact on the financial side of things allowing me to focus on my studies during the school year.
My future plans include working both med/surg and labor/delivery positions following graduation, attending ISU next fall (2026) to earn my BSN.
MYAH CARMONA
My future plans after passing the NCLEX involve working at UnityPoint Health Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines. I currently have a position lined up on an acute adult medical-surgical unit. As I grow as a registered nurse and gain experience working bedside, I hope to return to school to pursue my master’s degree, potentially focusing on the administration route.
The Knoxville Panther Scholarship Foundation has played such an important role in helping me achieve my goals and continue my education. Their support has helped decrease my financial stress throughout nursing school and allowed me to focus fully on my education and future career. Beyond the financial assistance, the foundation has additionally allowed me to meet wonderful individuals and shown me how much a supportive community can truly impact a student’s life.
KPSF also led me to my anonymous donor, which has been one of the most meaningful parts of my journey. Even though I do not know her personally, she has had such a meaningful impact on my life over the years.
Most of our communication took place through emails, where I was able to keep her updated on things like general life, schooling, accomplishments, and future goals. There have been multiple times throughout my college experience where I encountered something exciting or reached a new accomplishment and immediately thought, “I can’t wait to tell my donor about this!” Even though our relationship remained anonymous, those conversations always felt personal and supportive. It always felt like she was with me every step of the way throughout my journey.
I always look forward to sharing my accomplishments with her because her support helped make those achievements possible. Her kindness has helped me not only financially but also emotionally by reminding me that someone believed in me and wanted to support my dreams.
The support I have received from so many people, especially my anonymous donor, and knowing that she genuinely wanted updates about my life and journey, made me feel like I always had people in my corner who truly wanted to see me succeed. This not only kept me motivated but also continuously inspired me to keep pushing toward my goals. She has truly been a light in my life, and I will always be deeply grateful for everything she has done for me.
RILEY DAILEY
My name is Riley Dailey, and I am an April 2026 graduate from Mercy College of Health Sciences.
I plan to start my career in nursing at Mercy One in Des Moines as a float pool nurse to fan experience in all aspects of health care and learn more as I continue my journey. From then I would like to transfer to Unity point ED and obtain my SANE nursing certification to help those who are victims of abuse.
My thoughts on the Knoxville scholarship foundation, I think this foundation is truly amazing without the help of my donors I wouldn’t have been able to start my education in nursing. They continue to check up on you and make sure that you are getting what you need through your educational journey. The people that make up the KPSF are genuine people who see students that want to make a change in the world and they lend their generosity to make that happen.
My relationship with my donor, although she is anonymous I feel like she is rooting for me just as someone who is close to me would. She is always excited to get letters and pictures of what we are doing in the
nursing field and eager to know how far we have come. She is the reason that I was able to go to college and a large reason of why I pushed so hard to make it through. Without her kindness and generosity I wouldn’t be where I am today and I am forever thankful to Lucy enough to have someone like her in my corner.
Would you like to become part of a future student's success story? Please visit our Donate page to learn more!