SHREVEPORT, La. — LSU Health Shreveport has awarded its first scholarship designed to support first-generation college students pursuing health professions degrees. The LSU Health Sciences Foundation announced that Macey Duncan, a Physician Assistant Studies student in the School of Health Professions and Sciences, is the inaugural recipient of the Margaret Shehee Cole Endowed Scholarship for First-Generation Students.
The scholarship was established by Margaret Shehee and David Cole, long-time supporters of LSU Health Shreveport. The couple created the endowment in gratitude for the care David Cole received through the Faculty Rehabilitation Clinic at the School of Health Professions and Sciences. Their goal is to help ease the financial pressures of graduate education and provide opportunities for future healthcare providers.
“David and I are profoundly honored to establish this scholarship and play a part in Macey Duncan’s journey, as well as the journeys of future first-generation students,” said Margaret Shehee. “Witnessing the exceptional care David has received at LSU Health Shreveport inspired us to give back, ensuring that aspiring healthcare professionals, regardless of their background, can realize their dreams.”
Duncan said the scholarship represents more than financial support. “The path to this point has not always been easy, especially with financial strain constantly in the background, but those challenges have shaped me and made my journey more meaningful,” she said. “This scholarship is a powerful reminder that my hard work and dreams are seen and valued, and I am immensely grateful for the lasting impact it will have on my education and the future provider I will become.”
The Shehee Cole Endowed Scholarship is the first endowed scholarship created for the School of Health Professions and Sciences.
“We are incredibly grateful to Margaret Shehee and David Cole for their generosity, which directly supports our most deserving students,” said Dr. Sharon Dunn, dean of the School of Health Professions and Sciences. “This gift ensures our students can dedicate themselves fully to their demanding studies and emerge as the highly skilled, compassionate healthcare professionals that LSU Health Shreveport is known for.”
Additional information about scholarship opportunities is available at www.lsuhsfoundation.org/about-scholarships.