The St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation is proud to announce the 2024 recipients of the Marilyn Brown Nursing Scholarship, which each year provides $2,500 to colleagues who have been accepted into a nursing program of study.

Scholarship recipients can be nurses who are studying to advance their career or colleagues who are studying to become a nurse.

The scholarship was established by Marilyn Brown, a grateful patient who was inspired to create the scholarship by the skill, tenderness and reverence she experienced from St. Mary’s nurses. She hopes other grateful patients will follow in her footsteps to help even more St. Mary’s colleagues become nurses or advance their nursing careers.

“We are deeply grateful to Mrs. Brown for her generosity and commitment to advancing high level care and higher level caring at St. Mary’s,” said Anneliese Woodall, Manager of Donor Relations for St. Mary’s Health Care System. “Her ongoing contributions to our ministry reflect how much difference our nurses make in our patients’ outcomes and experiences. We are honored to be able to help her realize her goal of building the next generation of skilled, compassionate nurses at St. Mary’s.”

The next application season will open in January 2025. Congratulations to the 2024 recipients!

Caneisha Appleby 

Caneisha Appleby of Athens is in the process of obtaining her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Chamberlain University. She began working at St. Mary’s Hospital in 2016 on the Neuroscience Unit and currently serves as a Team Lead for the Post Anesthesia Care Unit and Preop Holding. Caneisha is passionate about nursing education and equipping nursing with the tools and resources to provide the highest quality care.

Caneisha states, “There isn’t any other profession I would rather be in, nor would I like to be doing it in any other hospital. St. Mary’s is home.”

She plans to obtain her master’s and doctorate degrees in nursing and would love to be a nursing educator one day – hopefully at St. Mary’s!

Jose Gonzalez

Jose Gonzalez lives in Toccoa and is a Security Guard at St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia. In this role, Jose ensures the physical safety and security of the hospital grounds and staff, monitors video surveillance systems, and diffuses high stress situations with patients and patient family members during times of crisis. Jose also is enrolled in the practical nursing program at North Georgia Technical College. His goals include applying for an LPN position at St. Mary’s, continuing his education by pursing advanced nursing degrees, and working in a critical care unit or emergency department within St. Mary’s Health Care System. He states on his application, “My goals are to be the best nurse that I can be and provide patients with the best care that I can give. The scholarship will allow me to put more focus into my schooling and not have to worry about financials.”

Rebecca Holloway

Rebecca Holloway lives in Bogart and is currently pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Adult Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner degree (DNP-AGACNP) from Augusta University. This program of study prepares nurses to provide advanced patient-centered care in acute care settings with patients across the adult lifespan.

Rebecca states in her scholarship application, “I am very invested in continuing to provide excellent care and ensure that quality healthcare resources are available. This scholarship would make that goal much more accessible and help me to help others.”

Rebecca is currently a Nursing Team Leader in the St. Mary’s Hospital Neuroscience Critical Care Unit.
After completing her degree in May 2025 she plans to continue serving patients in the Athens area.

Susanne Ivester

Susanne Ivester of Good Hope is a registered nurse in the St. Mary’s Hospital Transfer Center. She is also enrolled in the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Program at Brenau University. “My love of nursing started as a young child and the occupation has been very good to me. I would love to continue giving all I can to the St. Mary’s community as a family nurse practitioner,” says Susanne. As a nurse for nearly 21 years, Susanne has always wanted to become a nurse practitioner. When her oldest child left for college, she decided it was the right time to obtain her advanced degree. Susanne plans to work for a St. Mary’s primary care office and continue to provide compassionate care to her patients after she completes her education.