{"id":7017,"date":"2026-09-15T06:56:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T12:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/?p=7017"},"modified":"2026-09-15T06:56:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T12:56:10","slug":"the-power-of-one-jones-college-impact-scholarship-honors-students-and-the-teachers-who-shaped-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jcjc.edu\/jcnews\/uncategorized\/the-power-of-one-jones-college-impact-scholarship-honors-students-and-the-teachers-who-shaped-them\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of One: Jones College Impact Scholarship Honors Students and the Teachers Who Shaped Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Jones College student Payne McDonald is shown accepting his certificate alongside the teacher he chose to honor, South Jones High School faculty member Kendra Dearman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ellisville, MS – A teacher\u2019s impact is not always measured by a test score or a grade. Sometimes, it is found years later in the career a student chooses, the confidence they carry into a college classroom, or the memory of someone who believed in them when they struggled to believe in themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those stories were at the heart of the inaugural Jones College Impact Scholarship Program, a new initiative through the Jones College Foundation that recognizes current Jones College students while honoring the educators they credit with helping shape their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students applied by writing an essay about an educator who made a significant difference in their lives. Each selected student received a $1,000 scholarship to Jones College, while the educator recognized in the essay received an award and a $100 Amazon gift card to use in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones College Executive Vice President of Advancement Sabrina Young said the program was designed to celebrate both sides of that impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday, it is much more than a scholarship and a gift card. It\u2019s about saying thank you,\u201d Young said. \u201cThank you for believing in the students. Thank you for recognizing their potential, and thank you for helping prepare the next generation of professionals, leaders, parents, and community members who will shape our world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The essays submitted by Jones students revealed that the influence of a teacher can take many forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Jaci Thornton, that impact came from Greene County High School Biology teacher Carla McCoy, who became a source of support during one of the most difficult periods of Thornton\u2019s life. After Thornton unexpectedly lost her father during high school, McCoy made sure she knew her classroom would always be open if she needed help or simply someone to talk to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Greene County High School Biology teacher, Carla McCoy, accepting her award. Pictured from left to right: Jones College president, Dr. Jesse Smith; Jones College Foundation Board President, Robin Robinson; Greene County High School Faculty Member, Carla McCoy; Jones College Vice President of Advancement, Sabrina Young<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHer empathy during that time is something I will always remember,\u201d Thornton wrote, adding that she hoped every student going through a difficult season could have \u201ca teacher like her in their corner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Katherine Smith, Northeast Jones High School English teacher Karen Fitzgerald helped her recognize something she had not yet seen in herself. After Fitzgerald praised a personal narrative Smith had written and explained specifically what made her writing strong, Smith said the experience changed the way she viewed her own abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the first time, I believed that my thoughts and experiences had value,\u201d Smith wrote. She credited Fitzgerald with helping her \u201cfind my voice and trust in my abilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That ability to recognize potential before a student sees it is at the heart of what 91ÁÔÆæ Foundation Board President Robin Robinson said the new scholarship celebrates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I think about impact, I think about how one person can make a difference in another person\u2019s life,\u201d Robinson said. She described a teacher as someone who sees potential in students before they recognize it themselves and encourages them to keep going when challenges arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robinson also recognized the donors who make scholarship opportunities possible at Jones. The Jones College Foundation awards more than $600,000 annually to students, with donors investing in students they may never personally meet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some recipients, the influence of a high school teacher is already shaping what they are pursuing at Jones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reese Gray wrote that West Jones High School Anatomy and Physiology teacher Denise Taylor transformed a challenging science course into an experience that inspired Gray to pursue radiology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe did more than teach me science; she helped me discover a career path that combines my interest in the human body with the opportunity to help others,\u201d Gray wrote. Gray added that receiving the Impact Scholarship would allow her to \u201ccontinue the journey she inspired.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jones College President Dr. Jesse Smith said helping students recognize their own potential is one of the extraordinary gifts educators provide. Smith thanked the teachers for bringing out the gifts parents see in their children and helping students see something bigger in themselves, describing the choice to devote their lives to students as both a gift and a sacrifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jones College President, Dr. Jesse Smith<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Together, the students\u2019 stories illustrated an impact that reaches far beyond the classroom\u2014through the teacher who stays late until a difficult concept finally makes sense, the one who notices when something is wrong or the one whose lesson helps a student discover a future career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt 91ÁÔÆæ, we believe education changes lives,\u201d Young said. \u201cAnd today, we are here to celebrate the educators who make that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the inaugural Impact Scholarship recipients, the program provided more than financial assistance toward their education at Jones. It gave them the opportunity to recognize the educators whose lessons they continue to carry with them\u2014and to simply say thank you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Impact Scholarship Recipients<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The 2026 Jones College Impact Scholarship recipients and the educators they honored, listed alphabetically by student last name, are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n