Peggy McGee
A 2018 winner of one of the $1,500 Women-in-Transition (WIT) scholarships is helping COVID-19 patients on a daily basis. Because people are rightly concerned about encountering someone who has been in contact with someone with coronavirus, we are not revealing the awardee’s name. Regardless, we wanted the Quail Creek community to be aware of how their financial support of TWOQC’s scholarship program is positively impacting lives today. This woman is truly following one of TWOQC’s missions of giving back to the community and helping others.
When she applied for the WIT scholarship, she told us she had an interest in the healthcare field since childhood. She got her GED at age 38 and then enrolled in a medical assistant program. For the next six years, she worked full time and took at least one class each semester. She completed the prerequisites and was accepted to start the Respiratory Care Program in the fall of 2018. The program at Pima Community College offered a concurrent program with Northern Arizona University. Right on schedule, she graduated in two years, getting her associate degree in 2020 despite COVID-19. She immediately started working as a respiratory specialist, directly aiding COVID-19 patients who are on ventilators. She will soon be resuming her studies to complete the nine credit hours she needs to earn her bachelor’s degree.
When she applied for the WIT program, she wrote in her essay, “If you are going to dream, you might as well dream big.” The now 52-year-old woman has realized her big dream, and others are better for it. Her manager, who had known her for 21 years, wrote in her recommendation letter that she is “a responsible, dependable, dedicated, and compassionate woman whose ability to remain focused on her goal has been inspiring and admirable.”
Her chosen field, that is now so strongly affected by the coronavirus, has proven just what a dedicated and compassionate woman she really is.
We hope to be able to have some fundraising activities in 2021 to continue our scholarship program to help such inspiring older women find their true passion in life. We look forward to the Quail Creek community’s continued support for scholarships.