PONTOTOC, Miss.—North Mississippi Medical Center-Pontotoc has awarded $1,000 college scholarships to Ella Jo Gaspard, Dawson Kade Stegall and Jarius Ware.

Gaspard plans to major in speech-language pathology at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama. At South Pontotoc High School, she won the Superintendent’s Award and DAR Good Citizenship Award, was inducted into the Hall of Fame, served as president of Student Council and was a Beta Club member. The daughter of Johnny Wade and Mandy Gaspard, she volunteers for Hope Unbridled Equestrian Program and is serving as a camp counselor at Cedar Lake Camp in Livingston, Tennessee.

Stegall plans to major in pre-med and chemistry at Mississippi College in Clinton, where he was named a Select Scholar. At Pontotoc High School, he won the Pontotoc Citizenship Award, participated in the Rotary Club Leadership Conference, and volunteered with The Salvation Army and the City of Pontotoc. His parents are Kevin and Stephanie Stegall.

Ware plans to major in nursing at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus. At North Pontotoc High School, he won the Citizenship Award and Star Student Award, and was named as a Student of Distinction. He served as president of Future Health Professionals (HOSA) and was a member of the Beta Club, Mu Alpha Theta and Future Business Leaders of America. He completed North Mississippi Medical Center’s Mentorship Academy and the Certified Nursing Assistant program at Itawamba Community College. He is the son of Johnny and Essie Ware.       

The annual scholarships are awarded through the Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi to graduating high school seniors pursuing a health care career. Applicants are judged on ACT score, high school transcript, curriculum taken as it pertains to the chosen field, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation and their personal statements.