Michelya (Mikki) Webb is grateful for every single scholarship she received while she was a student at Aultman College. But one in particular holds a special place in her heart: the scholarship established by Aultman School of Nursing alumna Mary Ann King. Not only did Mary Ann fund the scholarship, but she also took a personal interest in the awardees, checking in on them and providing support and encouragement.

“She would call once a month to see how I was doing,” said Mikki. “She cared about my dreams; she cared about my growth as a nurse. She was a mentor to me. It was a really special relationship.”

Mikki is a 2016 GlenOak High School graduate who was part of the Advancement to Nursing Career Tech program. She started her nursing education at The Ohio State University, but she needed to return to Stark County to help care for her grandmother with dementia.

“I liked the small class sizes at Aultman College,” she said. “At Ohio State, I was in huge classes with hundreds of other students. I liked how accessible and personable the professors were at Aultman College. And I liked the idea of the college being part of the same health system where we would do our clinicals.”

But tuition costs were a challenge, which led to Mikki applying for scholarships and meeting Mary Ann. A 1957 graduate of the Aultman Hospital School of Nursing, Mary Ann had spent her career in psychiatric mental health nursing working as an educator, administrator and a clinical nurse specialist. She worked at Aultman Hospital and served as both a professor and member of the board of directors at Aultman College. In 2013, Mary Ann established the Elsie (Krites) Schroeder Scholarship in honor of her late mother, to whom she credited teaching her the importance of philanthropy.

Mikki was first awarded the scholarship during her sophomore year, and she continued to be a recipient until she graduated in December 2021 with her bachelor of science in nursing.

Mikki enjoyed meeting Mary Ann at the annual Aultman College Donor’s Luncheon, where scholarship recipients have a chance to meet the donors. Their relationship expanded into monthly phone check-ins, which became part of Mikki’s education journey. Mary Ann enjoyed hearing about Mikki’s life in and out of the classroom – she was excited when Mikki shared plans for a trip to Africa, offering advice she had gained from her own international travel.

Sadly, Mary Ann passed away in September 2021 at the age of 85.

“Her brother called me from her phone number to tell me, and it was kind of a shock,” said Mikki. “I went to her calling hours, and there was a list of so many students she had helped. Her family was so kind; they said she would have loved that we came to pay our respects and that she had lived a wonderful life.”

Mary Ann’s impact and legacy of giving lives on with Mikki, who works as a staff nurse at Aultman Hospital’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit. “It’s been hard, because I wanted her to be at graduation and to be part of my life and career milestones,” said Mikki. “She gave me so much great advice about how to be a good nurse. There are times when I am making a decision and I think, ‘What would Mrs. King do?’ So, I carry her with me. I think she would be pretty proud of me and how I listened to her.”

Mary Ann also inspired Mikki to consider how she can help future Aultman College students. “I have already thought about starting my own small scholarship, just so I could pay it forward and help a current student. Nursing school is a challenging time, and so many students struggle to pay their tuition costs. I would love to be able to help alleviate some of that stress.”