The Shneyder & Kirk ‘Reaching the Impossible” Scholarship Fund
In Fall 2023, Nightingale Education Group Chief Executive Officer, and President of Nightingale Foundation, Mikhail Shneyder, DNEd(hc), MBA, RN, and his husband, Jim Kirk, announced the creation of a $100,000 scholarship fund to help learners in need. The Shneyder & Kirk ‘Reaching the Impossible’ Scholarship Fund supports Nightingale College learners currently in foundational courses and at risk of not matriculating into a nursing program due to a lack of financial resources. Mikhail and Jim know that becoming a successful nurse requires tenacity, drive, passion, and resiliency. This fund was created to support learners who embody those qualities.
Despite having the desire and ability to be quality nurses, some foundational learners face financial barriers that prevent them from entering post-secondary nursing programs. Mikhail and Jim looked at this population and asked themselves, “How can we help these learners get from a point of ambiguity to being in a program?” Underserved and underrepresented populations are often the individuals who tend to serve their communities best, so investing in their futures was something that both Mikhail and Jim held deep within their hearts. The Shneyder and Kirk Scholarship Fund average receives about 50 applications per semester. To date, the Foundation has awarded 18 learners with scholarships. Nightingale Foundation awards three scholarships per semester, with each awardee receiving $2,000. Scholarship applications include personal stories that highlight the determination of these aspiring nurses who need a bit more support, whether financial or academic. Every recipient has shared that, without this funding, they would have had to drop out of nursing school. The need for these scholarships is immense, and their impact is life-changing.
This scholarship is so unique because of the intent behind it. Mikhail is an individual who is deeply passionate about nursing and helping underserved and underrepresented populations; having the ability to give back in this way makes it unique and immensely valuable. Having scholarships like these and others that target specific student bodies is vital because federal student aid only goes so far. Many learners who attend college are not eligible for federal assistance, and some of these learners are earning their second degree, so if they have exasperated their aid, they come to Nightingale College and have no aid left. Most of these individuals are working multiple jobs, raising their children, and trying to make ends meet, so having a scholarship like this removes barriers for those students who otherwise would not be able to access education without it. This fund hopes to make a difference in the lives of learners and assist them with aid so they can reach graduation.
The Shneyder and Kirk Scholarship ‘Reaching the Impossible’ Scholarship Fund accepts applications each semester, and Fall 2024 award recipients will be announced at the beginning of December. Nightingale Foundation has four scholarship funds open at varying times throughout the calendar year. For more information and complete descriptions of these scholarship funds, visit the Nightingale Foundation website at https://nightingalefoundation.com/home/.