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McKayla Hunt earns Power of Women Scholarship
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — Southeast Missouri State University student McKayla Hunt of Bell City, Mo., was honored with a Power of Women Scholarship April 10 druing the eighth annual Power of Women luncheon.
The Power of Women Scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate a passion for a life of service, are attending Southeast full time and have completed at least 30 credit hours with a minimum 2.75 grade point average. Each recipient submitted an application demonstrating significant academic achievement, involvement at the University and commitment to volunteerism and community service. The Power of Women Scholarship Committee selected the recipients based on these factors as well as their future aspirations for success in their career and personal life.
The Honorable Abbie Crites-Leoni, U.S. magistrate judge and president of the Southeast Missouri State University Alumni Association, Maria Sudak, chief operating officer of SoutheastHEALTH, and Shauna Hoffman, vice president of marketing and business development at SoutheastHEALTH presented the scholarships. In its eighth year, the annual Power of Women luncheon connects female students at Southeast with opportunities, women mentors and resources in the community. The luncheon highlights philanthropists, entrepreneurs and extraordinary women of Southeast.
Hunt is a junior pursuing a major in nursing. She has been named to Southeast’s Dean’s Lists for three consecutive semesters and is Sunday school teacher and volunteer with Bell City Baptist Church. Hunt is the daughter of Kevin and Stacey Hunt of Bell City, Missouri, and is a 2017 graduate of Bell City R-II High School.
“I feel very honored to be recognized with the Power of Women Scholarship,” Hunt said. “It is nice to be considered a powerful and competent woman based on my achievements and volunteer work. This has empowered me to finish college and to continue to seek opportunities to help others and volunteer.”
Hunt, who expects to graduate in May 2020, plans to continue her education and become a nurse practitioner specializing in pediatrics, women’s health or midwifery.
Kimberlee (Joos) Shaneyfelt, a 1991 Southeast graduate and retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, served as the keynote speaker.
Shaneyfelt encouraged Southeast students, alumni and attendees to prepare for the moments that life has in store by strengthening their physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being that serve as pillars in facing life’s challenges.
“The time to prepare for the moments of stress or tough choices is now,” Shaneyfelt said. “Think of the things that put you at ease, give you confidence and inspire you. Those are your foundation, which must be built before anything of substance can be placed upon it.”
By focusing on these pillars, individuals can be prepared each day to face the choices ahead, whether they are easy or difficult. They then should prepare those who come behind them to take up the challenges of tomorrow, she said.
“It’s about the best we can be and paying that forward to those around us,” she said. “When you help others around you build their foundations, you’re unstoppable. We can all do something inspirational and touch others’ lives no matter who we are.”
The eighth annual Power of Women event was sponsored in a collaborative effort by the Southeast Missouri University Foundation, Southeast’s Department of Athletics, Southeast Student Government and SoutheastHEALTH.
This year’s event is also sponsored by community businesses including Bold Marketing, Southern Bank, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Fox 23 My 49, River Radio, Chartwells and many others.
For more information about the Power of Women Scholarship and luncheon, visit http://www.semo.edu/powerofwomen.