Hospital awards scholarship to Green River student

Three Sweetwater County high school graduates are Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County scholarship recipients.

Rikki Cozad, Delaney Gardea, and Abby Hautala all received scholarships.

Two of the scholarships were awarded by the MHSC General Medical staff. Cozad, a Rock Springs High School student, and Gardea, a Green River High School student, each received a scholarship for $3,000. The hospital contributes $1,500 and the medical staff contributes $1,500 to each scholarship.

Hautala received a $1,500 scholarship from Sweetwater Memorial. The hospital, through its Marketing Department and a committee of four hospital department directors, awards the scholarship annually to an RSHS Health Academy student on behalf of the entire MHSC staff.

Delaney Gardea plans to attend Western Wyoming Community College in the fall and pursue a nursing career. Gardea, 17, is the daughter of Hope Gardea and Jeff Gardea, both of Green River. She ranks 29th in her class of 169.

“Being a healthcare worker takes someone special,” she said in her scholarship application essay. “I am a caring person who loves to help people. Being a healthcare worker, I feel is an awesome option for me.”

Her grandfather inspired her to pursue a career in nursing.

“His health for the past three years has declined greatly,” Gardea said. “Watching how the nurses interact with my grandfather’s care has impacted me greatly. They are very caring and kind superheroes.

“I feel that I would be a great fit for an RN,” she said. “Nursing is a hard and underrated job, but I believe that I can do it. I have a huge passion for caring for people, as well as a passion for human anatomy and physiology.”