Beebe nursing scholarships recognize excellence, support leaders
Each year, several students at the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing at Beebe Healthcare are named as recipients of various merit and need-based scholarships. The purpose of these awards is to recognize nursing students who demonstrate excellence in their daily work and support those who aspire to become the next generation of nursing leaders.
The scholarships are initiated and funded by local leaders and citizens who understand the value of nursing in today’s clinical care environment. The following awards were recently presented.
The Lisa Marie Henderson Scholarship was awarded to Noelle Benson of Lewes. This $1,000 grant is given each year to a senior nursing student at Beebe in memory of Lisa Henderson, who devoted her career to caring for oncology patients. She spent the last eight years of her career at Beebe’s Tunnell Cancer Center and served as a nurse manager for three years. Henderson was a well-respected leader who advocated for the patient experience. This scholarship was founded by her husband Wade in 2020 and is designed to support a student who intends to pursue a nursing career in oncology.
The Andrea Chomo Smith Memorial Scholarship was presented to Ayanna Williams of Smyrna. It honors the memory of Andrea Chomo Smith, who began her nursing career as a member of the Army Nurse Corps and was stationed at a military field hospital in Vietnam. She later pursued pediatric and psychiatric nursing, and eventually transitioned to become a certified hospice nurse and trauma case management specialist. This $2,000 award is given in the fall to a senior nursing student at Beebe from an endowment initiated by Andrea’s husband Robert in her honor.
The Dr. Anis K. Saliba Scholarships went to recipients Makenna Miska of Magnolia and Destiny Romano of Dover. These $1,000 scholarships are made possible through an endowment established by Dr. Anis Saliba and his wife Susan in 2017. They are presented in the fall to senior nursing students at Beebe. Saliba joined Beebe’s medical staff in 1968 and its board of directors in 1988. He also served the hospital as chief of staff for many years prior to his retirement in 2003. In honor of his long-standing leadership contributions to Beebe, Saliba was an honorary member of Beebe’s medical staff until his passing in 2024.
Leaders at the Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing are incredibly grateful for the commitments made by local and organizational leaders that make these awards possible in support of nursing education.
