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This article was originally published on February 24, 2016
Kacie Hauldren, director of the practical nursing program at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, left, presents Tricia Cannon of Washington County a $1,000 scholarship from the Bonnie Brumit endowment awarded to a practical nursing student at TCAT Elizabethton.
After graduating from Science Hill High School, Tricia said she decided to become a nurse after working with developmentally disabled individuals and realizing that caring for others was something she felt was truly her purpose in life.
“Because I have to support myself, I needed a quick program that would allow me to become a nurse as soon as possible. I needed the program to be reputable and cost effective and I needed it to be nearby. A Google search indicated that TCAT Elizabethton satisfied all of my requirements. I would very much like to work in a nursing home or with a home health agency once I graduate.
I believe all of my patients deserve kindness and respect. I think it is important to take the time to listen to them and show them that I value them. I believe that, while working, I should do the best, most thorough job possible to make sure my patients get what they need and the facility I work for is represented well,” Tricia said.
Tricia plans to follow in the footsteps of her mother and sister, who are Registered Nurses. “I will be pursuing a bachelor’s degree to become an RN. I plan to use this scholarship to help pay for education expenses. I really appreciate the dedication and passion Bonnie Brumit had for nursing and I intend to do all I can to honor her memory by being an excellent nurse,” Tricia said.
Bonnie Brumit entered nursing school at age 50 after receiving her high school equivalency diploma. She graduated in 1961 in the first graduating class at Carter County Memorial Hospital and was later employed by Carter County Memorial Hospital and Dr. E. T. Pearson.
When she passed away on Jan. 11, 2014, Bonnie left a $20,000 endowment to her children. Her children next decided to award scholarships of $1,000 each over the next 20 trimesters to nursing students at TCAT Elizabethton to promote their mother’s passion to provide loving care for their patients.
Kay Landry of Austin, Texas, a daughter of Bonnie Brumit, said she always admired her mother “for not giving up her dream to become a nurse, no matter her age, and providing the loving care that she did for her patients.” Bonnie’s other children are Mrs. Barbara Gentry of Alcoa, who is deceased, and sons, Ken Calloway of Elizabethton and Sam Brumit of San Marcos, California.