The North Florida College Foundation’s 2Gen Scholarship is a Win-Win
MADISON, FL - The North Florida College (NFC) Foundation is pleased to announce our first recipient of the recently established 2Gen Scholarship, Taneeka Barfield.
The 2Gen Scholarship's focus is to assist NFC students who are also parents. The NFC Foundation is aware that parents attending college often face additional challenges. Still, the potential positive influence of their studies and educational success on their children (2Gen) makes a significant impact. Parent education is crucial to a family’s ability to successfully manage financial setbacks and build economic security. According to the Aspen Institute, a globally recognized thought leader in education and policy studies, parents who complete a college degree double their incomes, and their level of education is a strong predictor of their children’s success.
The first donors to the NFC Foundation’s 2Gen Scholarship program, Danny and Kathy MacQuirter of Thomasville, Georgia, have a firsthand understanding of the potential of 2Gen Scholarships and did not hesitate to donate to this cause, which is close to their hearts.
As a first-generation college student himself, Danny experienced additional challenges in higher education. Later, as a newly married couple, the MacQuirters faced the financial challenges of college while starting a family. Just one week after their wedding, Kathy started school to obtain a degree in Registered Nursing. When speaking about the scholarship, Danny said, “Kathy and I are real believers in education, and we love what is happening at NFC. We have lived the benefits of 2nd generation scholarships.”
As the MacQuirter family grew, Kathy, as a mother of two children, continued her education and pursued an MBA. According to the MacQuirters, Kathy’s schooling would not have been possible without the scholarships that she received during those years.
They are excited at the prospect of paying it forward to help someone else in a similar situation stating, “We are both proud to be able to support the 2Gen scholarship at NFC."
The first recipient of the 2Gen scholarship, Taneeka Barfield, is a mother and a student enrolled in the NFC LPN-RN bridge program. She and her son Travis recently met Mr. MacQuirter on the NFC campus. Taneeka's story resonated with the MacQuirters as she is also pursuing a career in nursing while balancing the demands of work and family.
Taneeka is grateful to have received the 2Gen award stating, “This scholarship has allowed me to focus on studying by helping to relieve some of my financial concerns associated with attending college. Because of this scholarship, I am able to model for my son how dedication, perseverance, determination, accountability, and hard work pays off. I can now advance in my career by exploring additional critical care areas in my profession.”
The NFC College Foundation Director, Judy Lundell, expressed, “I am appreciative of the MacQuirter’s eagerness to contribute to this worthy 2Gen cause. More and more older students who are also parents have aspirations to further their education but do not have the means to bring their dreams to fruition. Children and families as well as our community benefit as a result of supporting these individuals with the 2Gen Scholarship.”
If you would like more information about NFC Foundation Scholarships or would like to support the 2Gen Scholarship for student parents at NFC, contact [email protected] or 850-973-9414.
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Photo Above: NFC student Taneeka Barfield, center, her son Travis, left, and Danny MacQuirter, right