Jemesia "Mecy" Calloway! Calloway will be graduating this semester and is the recipient of the 2021 President’s Award for the School of Nursing.
A second-generation Calloway to attend Auburn, the Oxford, Ala. native joined AUSON in May 2019. (Her father Billy Calloway graduated in 2005 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.) As a high school student, Calloway attended cheer camps in Auburn every summer. “I looked forward to coming to the Plains every year. The familial and welcoming atmosphere is what drew me in.
“It was a bonus when I found out that Auburn University had a highly-ranked nursing program that produced outstanding nurses,” she said. “I was introduced to bedside nursing in some of my healthcare classes in high school and fell absolutely in love with it. That experience motivated me to choose nursing as a major when I came to college.”
“Being a part of the Auburn Nursing Family has exposed me to many opportunities that has molded and continues to mold me into the Auburn woman I am today. My experiences here have taught me to be a critical thinker, to be resilient, and to make the most of every experience. As the Auburn Creed states, I believe that this a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work. Auburn’s curriculum has challenged me to be the best version of myself, and through hard work and dedication to ensure the success of every goal I set.”
A quote by Roy T. Bennett, Be the reason someone smiles. Be the reason someone feels loved and believes in the goodness of people, is truly what describes why she is passionate about nursing. “I want to be a nurse who makes a positive difference in every life that I touch,” she added.
Calloway is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Student Nurses Association, and former member of Tiger Sitter Services (a free babysitter service for graduate students). As a student with a minor in Human Development and Family Sciences, she completed a research assignment with Professor Wendy Gordon called the Friendship Hero Project which surveyed primary school students in the Lee County area, and their perception of bullying. Calloway is currently completing a nursing preceptorship at Children’s of Alabama on their Pulmonary Unit.
“I am extremely grateful to receive this honor and I am honored to be nominated by the nursing faculty to not only be a representative of this award but also the school of nursing. I am happy that the nursing faculty saw me as a student that possesses exemplary qualities of character, citizenship, and promise as a professional nurse.”
The President's Award is the highest award for undergraduate students and is presented to a graduating student whose accomplishments during their undergraduate years are truly exceptional and reflect the highest ideals of Auburn University.
