Kelley and Mary (Lucas) Bailey Memorial Endowment designed to help local, first-generation college students
NFC Student Destiny Wade of Jefferson County is scholarship’s first recipient
MADISON, FL - Destiny Wade, a first-generation college student from Jefferson County, is wrapping up her second term at North Florida College (NFC). She is working toward an Associate in Arts (AA) degree with plans to go onto a university and become a Christian counselor specializing in marriage and family therapy. She says, “Getting my AA at NFC is a great first step.”
This semester Wade became the first recipient of the NFC Foundation’s Kelley and Mary (Lucas) Bailey Memorial Scholarship, an endowment established to directly benefit first-generation college students from Hamilton, Jefferson or Madison counties.
“I am a first-generation college student,” said Wade. “I realized that that is something to be super proud of! Now, getting a scholarship because of that fact, I am just so thankful! Every bit of help that I can get to further my education is just a big blessing for me.”
Wade, who is very active in the ministry of her local church, says she hopes to continue her education at a Christian university after graduating from NFC.
"I am so excited to be receiving the Kelly and Mary (Lucas) Bailey Memorial Endowment Scholarship,” said Wade. “This was a big blessing to my family. It is only thanks to the generosity of people like you that I would be able to attend college.”
NFC Foundation Director Judy Lundell remarked, “The generosity of donors such as Norma Bailey Muller who contribute to the success of our hard working and worthy scholarship recipients like Destiny Wade makes me proud to be a part of the NFC Foundation and the larger community.”
The scholarship was established in December 2019 by NFC alumnae Norma Bailey Muller, the Kelley and Mary (Lucas) Bailey Memorial Endowment was designed to benefit first-generation college students from Hamilton, Jefferson or Madison counties. Muller who graduated with honors from NFC, then North Florida Junior College, in 1967 established the endowment to honor her parents’ memory and to help area students realize their dreams through education just as she did at the College. Muller now resides in Pensacola. Kelley and Mary were long-time residents of Madison County prior to moving to Jasper after retirement. Growing up in the Great Depression, Mary could not afford to attend college, but she was a wonderful role model for her daughter, valuing education and women's rights, and teaching compassion and tolerance for others. She was a committed Christian who lived her faith through acts of kindness, always putting others first.
For information on NFC scholarships visit www.nfc.edu/foundation-giving. For more information on partnering with the NFC Foundation to help local students, contact foundation@nfc.edu or 850-973-9414.