Three nontraditional MTSU students have received a boost in their educational careers from the June S. Anderson Foundation.

The organization awarded full-tuition scholarships to AnToinette Jefferson, Shaina Massey and Samantha Sweat at a May 9 luncheon in Murfreesboro.

The foundation awards full-tuition scholarships to full-time MTSU undergraduate women age 23 or older who are preparing for careers in nontraditional fields for women. Each applicant must have a minimum 2.0 GPA, demonstrate financial need and not require out-of-state tuition.

Three MTSU students are the latest recipients of full-tuition scholarships from the June S. Anderson Foundation, announced at a May 9 luncheon in Murfreesboro. From left are Dr. Andrienne Friedli, foundation vice president and chemistry professor; scholarship recipients AnToinette Jefferson, aerospace major; Shaina Massey, health care management major; and Samantha Sweat, accounting major; and Dr. Mary Magada-Ward, foundation president and philosophy professor. (MTSU photo by Eric B. Sutton)

Jefferson, a 23-year-old Memphis, Tennessee, native, said she was undecided about her college major until a relative who had taken classes in MTSU’s Department of Aerospace told her about its programs. To satisfy her curiosity, she approached the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, a nonprofit industry group.

“They took us on different tours, like to FedEx and UPS,” Jefferson said. “We got a chance to fly and to try out the different simulators, and I kind of liked it, so I decided to pursue a major in it.”

The senior said she is concentrating on air traffic control as a career but also would like to become a commercial airline pilot later.

Massey, 29, has been a dental assistant for several years and has a 6-year-old son. The senior from Smyrna, Tennessee, is majoring in health care administration in the University College‘s Professional Studies Program and minoring in accounting.

“Right now, I work chairside with the doctor, but I’m trained up front as well,” Massey said. “I’ve gotten to know some of the insurance stuff.”

Massey said she is leaning toward insurance industry management as a career choice, combining the skills of both her major and minor.

“I decided to go back to school to finish my degree in January 2017, and paying for school is hard,” Massey said, “so receiving this scholarship has been a big relief to me.”

Sweat, a 23-year-old accounting major from Henderson, Tennessee, said she initially chose the program in MTSU’s Jones College of Business because it is “so factual.” She found out there were more grey areas in the profession than she realized, but she said she loves the challenge.

Sweat became emotional as she expressed her gratitude.

“It gives me inspiration to keep pushing forward and achieving high grades and looking on to the finished goal,” Sweat said.

Dr. June S. Anderson

While noting that she welcomes her scholarship, Sweat said she will continue with her job as a customer service representative for a local bank.

MTSU chemistry professor June S. Anderson established the foundation that bears her name in 1982.

Anderson, who died in 1984, also established the forerunner of the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students; the Women’s Studies Program, which now is the Women’s and Gender Studies Program; and Women in Higher Education in Tennessee.

For more information about the scholarships, visit the Anderson Foundation website at http://capone.mtsu.edu/jsa or email jsaapplication@yahoo.com.

— Gina Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)