Averett "Avery" Phillips

Introducing Ms. Avery Phillips of Fort Smith, AR.  She received a $2,000.00 scholarship for the 2024 Fall – 2025 Spring Semesters to the University of Arkansas Fayetteville and will graduate in Winter 2025 with a BSN degree.

Avery has always had her mind set on pursuing a career in the medical field and looked up to her mom who was in the nursing field for 30 years. Her mom recently opened her own clinic in Fort Smith.  After graduation, Avery plans to work for a few years in Arkansas then go back to school to gain a MSN degree. Her “end goal” is to be a nurse practitioner in family practice and work at her mother’s clinic.

We have an incredibly good feeling that this young woman will achieve her goals!

Martin Nunez, Jr.

Meet Martin Nunez, Jr. of Alma, AR. He received a $2,000.00 scholarship to the University of Arkansas Fort Smith for the Fall 2024-Spring 2025 term, where he is working on his BSN degree. He will graduate in Spring 2026.

This first generation college student became interested in nursing after taking his girlfriend to the ER for a hypertensive crisis and was “amazed at the nurses quick decision making and professional care.”

He did notice there were no Hispanic healthcare workers in sight; this worried him as this  is the second largest ethnicity in Fort Smith. And being able to communicate efficiently is so important. This prompted him even more to achieve this goal.

We know he will be a great nurse! Congratulations, Martin!  

Anna Lee

Meet Anna Lee of Van Buren, AR who received a $3,000.00 scholarship to the University of Central Arkansas, where she is working on her MS degree in Communication Sciences Disorders with plans to graduate in Fall 2026.

Anna volunteered and job shadowed at the Gregory Kistler Treatment Center as a freshman in high school. She found that watching the therapists connect with the kids they serviced and the excitement of the kids learning communication goals inspired her to become a pediatric speech therapist.

This bright young woman will achieve her goals. Congratulations, Anna!  

Olivia Jones

Introducing Miss Olivia Jones of Arkoma, OK who received a $2,000.00 Scholarship to the University of Arkansas Fort Smith where she is working towards her AAS degree in Radiography, and will graduate in Spring 2025.

This vivacious young woman wants to make a difference in people’s lives and work in a career that she can be passionate about; also, she notes she has a “constant need to learn and develop as a person.”

This is the type of person that one would want to have taking care of them. We feel that Olivia will have a wonderful career in the radiography field. Congratulations, Olivia!

Ashlynn Flute

Meet Miss Ashlynn Flute of Muldrow, OK who received a $2,000.00 scholarship to the University of Arkansas Fort Smith! She will graduate in Spring 2025 with her BS degree in Dental Hygiene.

The UAFS Dental Hygiene program only accepts 16 applicants per year and Ashlynn felt chosen for a reason – and “it has clearly shown me that this is what I am called to do in life.” So far, she has learned that the oral cavity can show you beyond what someone’s overall health looks like and wants to make sure her patients know that taking care of their oral hygiene can improve overall health.

After graduation, she plans to work at a Cherokee Nation-established clinic. Look at Ashlynn’s beautiful smile! We believe she will be an excellent dental hygienist!  Congratulations, Ashlynn!

Sheniah Balagtas

Introducing Miss Shaniah Balagtas of Barling, AR. She is new to the program and received a $2,000.00 scholarship to the University of Arkansas Fort Smith where she is working towards her BSN degree. She will graduate in Spring 2025.

Currently she works as a Patient Care Technician at Baptist Health in Fort Smith. After graduation, she hopes to work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, but also is interested in working with children and going into pediatric nursing.

This bright young woman describes herself as a driven individual and perfectionist. We feel that she will be a great nurse! Congratulations, Shaniah!

Ella Austin

Introducing Ella Austin of Lavaca, AR who received a $3,000.00 scholarship to the University of Central Arkansas for the Fall 2024-Spring 2025 terms. She is working towards her Master of Science in Nutrition, Dietetics and Nutrition Therapy degree.

Ella says that “I want to impact lives and positively change the food system, starting with the surrounding community.” She says the more she learns about nutrition, the more she realizes that many of our greatest barriers and health issues start at home with the food, or lack thereof and that with proper education and counseling the incidence of nutrition related complications will decrease.

Congratulations, Ella!  

Mikella Arbaugh

The Degen Foundation welcomes Miss. Mikella Arbaugh of Fort Smith, AR, to our scholarship program. She received a $4,000.00 scholarship that will go towards her Family Nurse Practitioner degree through Arkansas State University and will graduate in Fall 2025.

She has been working as a forensic nurse at the Crisis Intervention Center performing sexual assault and domestic violence exams and gained a love for this area of nursing. Her goal is to be able to provide follow-up care that these patients need and do not get due to low income, no insurance and lack of knowledge about their own health.

Mikella is a true example of what the Degen Foundation’s mission is all about – helping to serve the underserved.

Congratulations Mikella!