The Mary Josephine Vukits Nursing Scholarship, created by her nephew Tom Dake, is available to Muskegon Community College students in MCC’s nursing program. Applications for the Fall 2014 semester are due by July 31, 2014. Candidates must meet the following requirements:
- Complete a minimum of 12 credit hours in good standing at Muskegon Community College at time of application;
- Have a GPA of 3.0 or better;
- Be enrolled in at least 8 credits hours in the MCC Nursing Program;
- Submit a completed Muskegon Community College General Scholarship Application, attaching an additional 400-500-word essay that explains her or his nursing education goals and why she or he is the best candidate for the scholarship;
- Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form for the academic year in which the scholarship would be applied;
- Demonstrate financial need as determined by the MCC Financial Aid office; and
- Meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements in order to receive the second semester disbursement
Vukits, who passed away at age 90 in April 2013, was a Registered Nurse at Hackley Hospital for more than 30 years until her retirement. She grew up the sixth of eight children in Dodgeville, WI, where she graduated from high school in 1941. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor later that year, she joined her older siblings in serving the nation. She began her career as a Registered Nurse in the U.S. Army and devoted much of her military service in the Philippines caring for gravely wounded soldiers. She met her future husband, Army Sgt. Frank Vukits, while he was working as a Stars and Stripes journalist.
They married and settled permanently in Muskegon, where Frank worked at Brunswick and Mary at Hackley Hospital. They were known for their beautiful gardens and their generous membership at St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Mary had an unsurpassed generosity of spirit. She worked at the hospice camp helping children cope with their own grief, read to young children in the local schools and prepared holiday baskets and meals with the Salvation Army.
“This is a great opportunity for MCC nursing students to pursue their degrees and to follow in the footsteps of Mary in service to the community,” said Pam Brown, director of the MCC Nursing Program