Nursing drew Lillian Rose Stewart, but she resisted it at first.
“A lot of women in my family are nurses. Growing up, I would sometimes go with my grandma — she’s an amazing nurse, and she had all the letters next to her last name except for “z”,” said Stewart, a nursing student at Aiken Technical College, who considered going into law at one time. “She would explain everything she was doing.”
Stewart was one of several students who attended the March 3 Aiken Technical College Foundation Scholarship Breakfast, where she met Rosalind Morse, who has volunteered at Aiken Regional Medical Centers since 2017.
“The hospital auxiliary runs the gift shop and 100%goes to scholarships,” sad Morse, who believes in the auxiliary’s mission so much that the shop is her go-to place where she purchases all her gifts for birthdays and other special events.
Stewart said the scholarship she received helped her in more ways than just the financial one.
“I always wondered if I was smart enough for it, capable enough for it. Getting scholarships like these reminds you that people can see what you are capable of and what you can accomplish,” she said.
Janiyah Dunbar, an expanded duty dental assisting student, is another scholarship recipient who attended Tuesday’s event.
The money she received meant not having “to worry about buying books,” she said.
Angela Odom, the expanded duty dental assisting program director and Aiken Tech’s 2026 Faculty Educator of the Year, said Dunbar is a great student and has other qualities that stand out.
“She’s always on time. She’s always helping. I call her my little assistant. I had to recommend the scholarships after only knowing them three months in. In the first three weeks, she was the most outgoing. She was highly recommended by other teachers as well. She’s a top-notch student,” Odom said.
The foundation awarded about 230 scholarships in the amount of $225,000.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
