Emma Taylor Roach, 19, of Piedmont, has been awarded a $500 study grant by the Buel Johnson Endowed Scholarship Fund to help underwrite her nursing studies at Three Rivers College. The fund is administered by the Three Rivers Community College Foundation.
Roach is a 2017 graduate of Clearwater High School in Piedmont, where she was Valedictorian of her graduating class with a 4.0 grade point average. She is the daughter of Douglas and Peggy Roach, both of whom are teachers in Piedmont.
During high school, Roach held offices in several clubs and participated in many activities, including Family Career & Community Leaders of America, Beta Club, Future Business Leaders of America, History Club and National Honor Society. She was named to the Academic All-State Volleyball team and was chosen Clearwater High School Homecoming Queen.
Roach said she was inspired to seek a nursing degree by the "most special nurses" who tended her maternal grandfather when he was ill with lymphoma. "After nursing school, I plan to stay in the Southeast Missouri area, work as a nurse, and raise a family," Roach wrote in her scholarship application. "After working for a few years, I would like to return to school and become a nurse practitioner," she concluded.
The Buel Johnson Endowed Scholarship Fund was established by the estate of the late Buel T. Johnson, of Poplar Bluff, who died in 2003 at the age of 93.
Mr. Johnson, a World War II veteran, was a teacher for 28 years. He taught at public schools including Biggers (Ark.) High School and Poplar Bluff Junior High
School. For 17 years, he was a professor of English at the former Boonville-based Kemper Military College. After his teaching career, Mr. Johnson operated an insurance agency in Poplar Bluff. He also served as a local and state officer in Kiwanis International.
The scholarship named for him is to be given annually to in-district Three Rivers students who demonstrate a desire to succeed and willingness to work hard, according to the fund guidelines.
The TRCC Foundation is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt corporation offering donors substantial tax deductions for their contributions. The foundation administers numerous scholarships and special projects that benefit Three Rivers College and its students. For additional information, contact Executive Director Judith Scott at (573) 785-3743.