Two Notre Dame College nursing majors have been recognized by the Greater Cleveland Nurses Association (GCNA) with the 2020 Rosemarie Hogan Annual Nursing Student Scholarship.
Macie Snider, who will graduate with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 2021, and Cheryl Jackson-Ballard, who will earn her B.S.N. in 2022, received the honor this year. The GCNA is the local affiliate of the Ohio and American Nurses Associations, representing registered nurses in Cuyahoga and Geauga counties. The organization usually only awards one $1,000 scholarship to a prelicensure nursing student entering their final year of school.
This year the two winners in 2020, both from the College, represent the professionalism, the diversity and the family at the heart of the Notre Dame nursing program.
Snider, a traditional undergraduate, is president of the Notre Dame Student Nurses’ Association, a resident assistant in student housing and a member of the choir ensemble. She also has worked on campus as an admissions tour guide and served as president of the College’s Falcons Activity Board.
Jackson-Ballard has worked as an L.P.N. with the Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio for the past 28 years. She is a mother, a grandmother and caregiver to a disabled sister. She is a member of the Student Nurse Association.
“This scholarship is a blessing. I’m trying to work, to take care of my family, to balance school. I don’t always know where the money is going to come from to finish my education,” Jackson-Ballard said. “Thank God I will be able to achieve this now, especially in the later stages of my life.”
Snider and Jackson-Ballard are both from the Cleveland area.
“It is such an honor to receive this scholarship award. Coming from a large family, I have to support myself financially through school, and I have always worked hard for my education,” Snider said. “I am so blessed for the continuous support from my fellow nursing colleagues and professors.”
Snider has worked at the Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital for the past two years. She has spent much of that time on the medical-surgical floor but recently transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit as a patient care nursing assistant.
Both students said they have persisted through restless nights and even some tears, finding support and understanding in each other, their classmates and the entire Notre Dame nursing family.
“The nursing school is so supportive. They do everything they can to assist you,” Jackson-Ballard said. “Faculty are always helpful. They want you to be able to succeed and graduate.
“If you are going to pursue a four-year B.S.N., Notre Dame is a very good school,” she added.
To be considered for the scholarship, Jackson-Ballard and Snider submitted essays describing why they chose to become nurses and how they will use their education to advance their patients, family and community. They also needed at least a 3.0 GPA and to be members of the Student Nurses Association to qualify for consideration.
The monetary award they received from the GCNA is named in honor of Rosemarie Hogan, a longstanding member of the organization and nurse leader.
November 2022
About Notre Dame College
For almost a century, Notre Dame College has educated a diverse population in the liberal arts for personal, professional and global responsibility. Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1922, the College has grown strategically to keep pace with the rapidly changing needs of students and the dramatic changes in higher education. But it has never lost sight of its emphasis on teaching students not only how to make a good living but also how to live a good life.
Today, the College offers bachelor’s degrees in 30 disciplines plus a variety of master’s degrees, certification programs and continuing and professional development programs for adult learners on campus and online. Notre Dame College offers NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic programs for men and women and is located in a picturesque residential neighborhood just 25 minutes from the heart of Cleveland. Hallmarks of the Notre Dame experience include stimulating academics, personalized attention of dedicated faculty and staff, and small class sizes.
Notre Dame College is located at 4545 College Road in South Euclid. For further information contact pr@ndc.edu.