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Undergraduate Student Named Tylenol
Scholar Kristyn Mickley, a sophomore
studying nursing at
the University of Kentucky, has been awarded one of 40
Tylenol Scholarships presented by the company. The $5,000
scholarship is presented to students with outstanding leadership
qualities and academic performance.
The annual Tylenol Scholarship program was created to support
the future of health care. Now in its 17th year, the program
helps students who are pursuing careers in the medical field
manage the rising costs of education. This year, the company
awarded $5,000 and $10,000 scholarships totaling $250,000.
Mickley, the daughter of Candace and Howard Mickley of Arlington
Heights, Ill., will use her scholarship toward her studies at
UK.
The Tylenol Scholarship will help Mickley pursue her dream to
help people. The sophomore's interest in nursing surfaced before
she came to college after shadowing experiences in the career
field, set up by her high school science teacher, Mollie David,
at Buffalo Grove High School, and watching nurses assist ill
family members.
Since coming to UK, her interest in nursing has been further
developed through undergraduate research opportunities. Mickley
has been selected to work on research projects alongside UK
College of Nursing faculty
Kristin Ashford and
Patricia Burkhart.
"Kristyn is a goal-directed student who actively seeks out new
experiences to enhance her learning," said Burkhart, associate
dean of undergraduate studies in the UK College of Nursing.
"Long before the semester began, she met with me to ask about
the possibility of working with our research team so that she
could learn about the research process and how it relates to her
field of nursing. This is extraordinary for a sophomore nursing
student, given that the nursing research course is not taught
until the second semester of the junior year. She is a
thoughtful student who takes the initiative and provides
leadership to other students on the team."
Burkhart also serves as a mentor for Mickley. "Dr. Burkhart has
definitely influenced me," said Mickley. "She has been a great
inspiration, to see how dedicated she is toward caring for her
clients and how devoted she is to her research. She has been a
great comfort in reassuring me that I can achieve all that I go
after."
Additionally, Mickley's work as a counselor and camp nurse at
Silver Birch Ranch,
a Christian summer camp, helped the student know nursing was the
field for her. This past summer, Mickley was asked to work with
a group of children quarantined due to H1N1.
"I had to monitor them physically, but also emotionally during
this difficult time," commented Mickley. "This experience
'sealed the deal' for me; nursing can be an opportunity where I
can overlap my desire to help others spiritually and
physically."
Mickley has earned her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
certification, which allows her to serve as a nurse assistant.
Outside of the classroom and research labs, Mickley keeps busy
as a
Chellgren Fellow, a group leader for
Christian Student Fellowship
and a member of the
KCrew.
Mickley would like to use her nursing education to serve in
Africa before returning to the states to work in a trauma unit,
pediatric or neonatal center.
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