Migrant Farmworker Nursing Scholarship

Criteria

Individuals residing in North Carolina seeking higher education with plans to pursue a degree in nursing, whose parent or grandparent (by birth or adoption), stepparent or step-grandparent is or has been a migrant farmworker, are eligible to apply. Students enrolled in online programs are not eligible to receive the scholarship. The scholarship is not limited to recent high-school graduates.

About

As a public health nurse serving migrant farmworkers, Joan McGuire saw firsthand the need for nurses to have a strong understanding of the needs of migrant workers who travel to do seasonal farmwork.

Prompted by the pandemic, McGuire began to seriously consider estate and legacy planning. In 2022, she established the Migrant Farmworker Nursing Scholarship Endowment to provide renewable scholarships for children and grandchildren of migrant farmworkers statewide to attend nursing school.

With this scholarship, McGuire hopes to provide farmworkers’ children and grandchildren the opportunity to become nurses while staying connected to their communities. In turn, this will benefit the migrant worker community with greater diversity among public health nurses who can provide more culturally competent care. Learn more about the Joan McGuire and this scholarship on our blog.