Meet 2024 Power of We Scholars Emma, Ariel and Shiraz

Key Takeaways

• The BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation has awarded $10,000 scholarships to 6 students pursuing degrees in health care for 2024.
• The BlueCross Power of We Health Equity Scholarship is open to qualified graduate and undergraduate students of all backgrounds pursuing careers in health care with a desire to improve health equity for Tennesseans

Emma Hynson grew up in a small rural community, and her experiences with health care there inspired her to enter the field.

"Working there opened my eyes to the deficiencies in care in rural areas."

Emma is one of six recipients of the BlueCross Power of We Health Equity Scholarship. Here are their stories.

Emma Hynson

First Year Graduate Student

Rural Family Medicine

Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University

Many of the patients in Emma's hometown had never been to an optometrist or been fitted for glasses. Seeing her mother balance being a working mom while helping the underserved residents of their community instilled a work ethic in Emma that she still carries with her today. It also inspired her to become a rural family doctor.

Emma is in her first year of the Rural Primary Care Track at the Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). She completed her undergraduate degree in Health Sciences from ETSU earlier this year.

"I think my experiences so far have helped prepare me to build relationships with my future patients," Emma says. "I am learning about the social determinants of health and studying the external factors that can impact someone's health."

In rural areas, things like transportation, finances and the ability to find healthy food can play a crucial role in someone's health.

"I want to be an advocate for patients in rural communities. If you can identify a need for one patient, you can identify a need for a community," Emma says. "There is a real need for physicians to serve patients in rural communities. If there isn't a provider in an area, people can go years without care, which compounds the problems. I want to fill that need and make a difference," she adds.

In college, Emma worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the Johnson City Medical Center and volunteered in the community. While at ETSU, she also taught First Aid/CPR/AED courses through the American Red Cross.

Emma also found time to play in ETSU's Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies program and found a passion for teaching fiddle with the Junior Appalachian Musicians program.

After medical school, Emma plans to serve the residents of rural East Tennessee. "I've fallen in love with the area, and I know there's a need here," she says.

"The Power of We Scholarship will relieve some of my financial burdens and enable me to focus completely on my education so I can one day help the underserved populations in Tennessee."

Ariel Woods

Senior

Nursing

University of Tennessee at Martin

Ariel Woods wants to address health disparities by working as a labor and delivery nurse.

"Black mothers and their babies have the highest morbidity and mortality rates of any race," Ariel explains.

, education, and advocacy to ensure everyone receives the best and most appropriate health care possible."

The Oakland, Tenn. native has been building her clinical and patient education skills while attending school.

"I was recently part of a group of nursing students who were asked to talk with middle school students in Martin about healthy eating habits," she says. "The students talked about their food choices and revealed they were big consumers of energy drinks - with some drinking five or six per day! It felt good to educate them about the serious effects of these drinks and point them to healthier options."

When she's not in school, Ariel works at Regional One Health as a nurse extern helping patients on the oncology floor. Each summer when she returns, she's moved by the fact that the patients remember her.

"Knowing they remember me confirms that I make a difference in their lives. This reinforces my commitment to becoming a nurse and helping people."

She has continued working as an extern this summer, this time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and is enjoying having a positive impact on the babies' and parents' lives.

At UT Martin, Ariel serves as president of her class and is active in the National Student Nursing Association. She was recently admitted to the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

"I will graduate in May with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing," she says. "I will then work in labor and delivery but will go back to school. I want to become a nurse practitioner and then get my doctor of nursing practice, so I can become a nursing professor."

Ariel believes the Power of We Scholarship will help her achieve her educational goals. "Ultimately, it will allow me to deliver patient-centered care, do research, and identify interventions to reduce - and hopefully eliminate - health disparities," she says.

Shiraz Ibrahim

Second Year Graduate Student

Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)

Meharry Medical College

As a child, Shiraz Ibrahim saw firsthand how challenging it was for her parents to afford dental care.

"When I was younger, I saw my parents struggle and not be able to go to the dentist because it was too expensive," she says.

Shiraz is pursuing her doctor of dental surgery degree. She graduated from Tennessee State University where she was the honors college president, president of the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Society and Women's Center Ambassador. As a second-year dental student, she currently serves as the Vice President of the Meharry Medical College chapter of the American Student Dental Association (ASDA), as well as the District 4 pre-dental chair for ASDA.

"I love Meharry because our entire purpose is caring for the underserved and low-income communities," Shiraz explains.

Shiraz is prioritizing giving back to the community while in school. She volunteers for Hands On Nashville, Meharry's Oral Health Day, as well as other community service events to provide free dental services to Nashville area residents.

"Whenever I have free time, I look for ways to give back," Shiraz says. "During Covid, it was difficult because everything was shut down. So, I found an opportunity to be a virtual mentor to STEM students through the Urban League of Chattanooga. I was a chemistry major in college, so I tutored and mentored students. It was rewarding to help them with their studies and introduce them to the field of medicine."

After completing her studies, Shiraz hopes to open a dental clinic serving low-income and uninsured patients.

"Dental care is so expensive that it is simply out of reach for many people, and they just go without," she explains. "I want my clinic to make it possible for them to get the care they need. I also want to go out into the community and educate people about the importance of oral health."

Shiraz says the Power of We Scholarship will support her financially but also inspire her to achieve her goals. "It's a great motivator for me because it's a reminder that there are people and organizations that believe in my mission."

Read about the other BlueCross Power of We Health Equity Scholars here.

At BlueCross, our mission is to provide peace of mind through better health, and one critical aspect of that commitment is doing our part to improve access to care for our neighbors. Over the last few years, we've expanded our understanding of barriers to care, including social factors like financial status, language and access to transportation. We continue to build on our knowledge through our annual Health Equity Report, and as we work toward our goal of better care for all Tennesseans, we recognize we also need to look toward the future.

That's why the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation funds the BlueCross Power of We Health Equity Scholarship, providing six $10,000 awards each year to students who are committed to improving health equity statewide.

"We know that as we work to improve health outcomes for all Tennesseans, it's critical to support the state's future health care providers," says Dr. Andrea Willis, SVP and chief medical officer at BlueCross. "As we grow in our understanding of barriers to care, our Power of We Scholarship remains a vital component in our strategy to advance health equity for our neighbors."

Since 2013, the BlueCross Foundation has awarded $475,000 in scholarships to 50 students.

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