Uniform Advantage recently formed an agreement with Miami Dade College to give a scholarship from the Uniform Advantage Nursing Scholarship Fund to one lucky nursing student each semester. Per the scholarship, we will be giving away $500 to be used towards tuition, books and fees and a $100 Uniform Advantage gift card, which can be used towards nursing scrubs and accessories. To be eligible for this scholarship, students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, have a minimum GPA of 3.5, and must be accepted into one of Miami Dade College’s nursing programs.

The first recipient of the scholarship from the Uniform Advantage Nursing Scholarship Fund¹ is Kevin Jacobson.  Kevin is attending Miami Dade College to receive his Associate of Science Degree in Transitional Nursing. When asked what made him want to go into nursing in the first place, Kevin told me that he had always known he would be working in the medical field but that his feelings were confirmed by his time spent in the Navy. As a hospital corpsman with the Navy, Kevin worked closely with nurses on duty around the world, and he realized that this level of patient care was better suited for his personality than any other type of medical profession.

After attending boot camp and corps school, Kevin spent another year at the medical ward before he was sent to the Navy Clinic for sick call. He was at the clinic when he got the news that a tsunami had ripped through Indonesia and that his services were needed overseas. Working on what Kevin calls the “Floating Hospital”, the Mercy Ship, he gave medical attention to the people from Indonesia, as well as those from the Philippines and Bangladesh, affected by the tsunami. He recalls that when his group first arrived in Indonesia, the victims of the tsunami were not very fond of Americans, but by the time the American soldiers and doctors were ready to leave, they saw a different side of Americans and were very appreciative.

Following five years in active duty, Kevin is now in the Reserves out of Hialeah, Florida, where he is putting his medical knowledge and experience to good use and attending Nursing School at Miami Dade College.  Thank you, Kevin, for all of your hard work locally and internationally, and congratulations on winning the scholarship!

–          Adam

 ¹ Miami Dade College awards the scholarship from the Uniform Advantage Nursing Scholarship Fund to one nursing student each semester.  For more information, visit the Financial Aid Department.