Two MTSU students will continue their education with financial help from the ATHENA Patrons Society.

Monica McKinny and Rebecca Campbell received scholarships during the 2018 ATHENA Award Ceremony April 19 at Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro.

McKinny, a senior history major from Murfreesboro with minors in secondary education and cultural geography, received a $3,000 scholarship for nontraditional students.

“As a mother, this helps to relieve many financial burdens and provides comfort,” McKinny said.

“My plans after graduation are to enter the education field here in Rutherford County. I hope to teach history at a local middle or high school.”

Campbell, a senior physical education major from Smyrna, Tennessee, with a minor in secondary education, received a $1,000 scholarship from the organization with the support of ATHENA nominee Retta Gardner.

“After I graduate, I intend to become a physical education teacher in Rutherford County to teach children how to live a happier and healthier life,” Campbell said.

ATHENA Patrons and Scholarship Chair Ashley Holloway, center, congratulates scholarship recipients Rebecca Campbell, left, and Monica McKinney, right, following the 2018 ATHENA Award Ceremony at Murfreesboro’s Embassy Suites April 19. (Photo submitted)

The ATHENA Patrons Society is the financial arm of ATHENA International, a global program celebrating “individuals who excel in their professions, give back to their communities and help raise up other leaders, especially women,” according to Rutherford Cable, a leadership organization for women’s professional advancement in Rutherford County that administers the ATHENA Award Program locally. It is named for Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.

“It is so gratifying to know that both of our scholarship recipients intend to be educators,” said ATHENA 2018 Chair Natalie Hughes. “What better way to salute the ATHENA principles of learning and giving back.”

For more information, contact Tosha Statenburg, marketing and communications chair for Rutherford Cable, at tstoutenburg@ascendfcu.org or visit www.rutherfordcable.org.

— Gina K. Logue (Gina.Logue@mtsu.edu)