Maddie Byard’s passion for nursing was sparked at Belton High School. She participated in a four-year biomedical course where she was given the opportunity to explore the medical field. She fell in love with nursing during the course.
“It helped me realize that not only do I love to care for people, but I enjoy the medical and science part of the profession as well. I pursued nursing because of my deep passion for caring and helping others. But I am also passionate and interested in medical sciences, so nursing the best of both worlds.”
While Maddie thrives in a scientific environment, her focus, as a nurse, is to make a positive impact on people’s lives. She wants to hear her patient’s stories and learn about their experiences.
“It is an exceptional feeling to be the person that can bring light and gentleness to a person’s life when they are in a time of need.”
Maddie graduated from Belton High School in 2018 and was awarded a health care scholarship from Cass Community Health Foundation. After her initial scholarship, Maddie applied for and was awarded renewal scholarships from Cass Community Health Foundation while she completed nursing school at Avila University.
Those scholarships minimized Maddie’s financial burden of a nursing degree, which is an expensive degree to obtain. The consecutive scholarships from Cass Community Health Foundation significantly reduced the student debt she is now faced with.
“We will always need more health care professionals. Because nursing school is very busy, with exams weekly and hours of clinicals, many nursing students find themselves financially struggling. With the assistance of Cass Community Health Foundation and their generous donors, I had fewer financial burdens in nursing school. That created better morale and more motivation to succeed, while decreasing burnout.”
Cass Community Health Foundation helped fund Maddie’s journey through nursing school. The foundation will continue to support local students from Archie High School, Belton High School, Cass Midway High School, Drexel High School, Grandview High School, Harrisonville High School, Heartland Christian School, Pleasant Hill High School, Raymore-Peculiar High School, Sherwood Cass High School, or Training Center Christian School. Students interested in nursing or other health related degrees can apply at casscommunityhealth.org/scholarships.
