The scholarship for nursing students grew from the desire for classmates to help one specific student in need and grew into an endowed scholarship with support from the community.
Marion Technical College is now home to a new endowed scholarship for nursing students, called the MTC RN Alumni Legacy Scholarship. Officially established as an endowed scholarship in September 2025, the scholarship began as a gift from nursing students in the 2024 class to help out a classmate in need. Since then, the scholarship has been endowed as a yearly award to help nursing students afford their classes, contributed to by alumni, the community, and other supporters.
According to an article on Marion Technical College’s website, Michelle Little, who is the president of the Nursing Class of 2024, was quoted as saying of the establishment of the scholarship, “I have been blown away by the community response. To think that our small donation sparked a domino effect and now is a fund that can bless the lives of many students is deeply humbling. We appreciate the support MTC and the community have shown and are excited to see this scholarship benefit others who are working to change their own lives and the lives of their patients.”
Savannah Irick, the president of the Nursing Class of 2025, explained why those students decided to contribute to the fund as well, setting off a chain reaction of even more donations. Irick said, “Our class chose to contribute to the scholarship for second-year nursing students because we understand firsthand how demanding and financially challenging nursing school can be. We wanted to support those coming after us and help ease even a small part of that burden, while investing in the future of the nursing profession and the compassionate care it represents.”
Also contributing to the new MTC RN Alumni Legacy Scholarship was Blaine Gutermuth, whose wife, the late Shirley Gutermuth, was one of the founders of Marion Technical College’s nursing program in the 1970s. She served as the program’s director until her retirement in 1989.
Stacie Groll, the college’s associate dean, said, “I am deeply touched by the endowed scholarship fund created by our nursing students. What began as a single act of generosity has grown, class by class, into an annual scholarship that continues to expand its reach, and that growth truly warms my heart. Each contribution represents more than a donation; it reflects the compassion, selflessness, and commitment to service that define our students as future nurses. Seeing them choose to lift one another up, even while navigating the demands of nursing school themselves, fills me with pride and hope for the profession. This scholarship is a powerful testament to the character of our nursing students and the values they carry forward into their careers. I could not be prouder of them.”
For more information about Marion Technical College, visit the school’s website.