Westminster, Md., May 24, 2019—Carroll Community College (Carroll) will present the President’s Academic Excellence Award, the College’s highest award to graduates, to Noah Evan Tucker, a nursing student from the class of 2019, at the College’s 26th commencement. The ceremony will take place on Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. at the McDaniel College Gill Center.
Tucker, a 32-year-old Westminster resident, was chosen by College President Dr. James D. Ball to receive this prestigious award for his academic achievements and outstanding community service. He will receive an Associate Degree in Science after completing the select admissions Nursing Program at the Ceremony.
“In addition to his demonstrated academic excellence and exceptional recommendations from our nursing faculty, Noah showed a deep commitment to providing healthcare services to underserved patients though his volunteer activities,” said Ball. During his time at Carroll, Tucker volunteered regularly with Remote Area Medical, a non-profit organization that operates mobile medical, dental and vision clinics in rural areas where its residents do not have access to or cannot afford basic services.
Tucker describes his experience with Remote Area Medical as the “most rewarding work of my health care career to date.” He is a core volunteer, responsible with other core volunteers for setting up and tearing down the clinics, training volunteers and ensuring smooth operations. The clinics serve as many as 1,000 patients over a single weekend.
Tucker chose Carroll’s Nursing Program for its reputation, affordability and hands-on training. Having worked in health care research for several years before enrolling in the program, he realized he wanted to transition to clinical care. Tucker recalls that during his third-term clinical rotation, he became “comfortable with being a nurse. I had learned so many skills, and I was putting them into practice. It was a fantastic feeling.”
“I am so honored to have been chosen by Dr. Ball for this award. Thanks to the financial support I received through scholarships, and the on-going support from the nursing faculty, I will achieve my goal of becoming a registered nurse,” said Tucker.
He plans to continue to volunteer with Remote Area Medical once he receives his nursing license. His long-term plans includes additional education to become a Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner, allowing him to provide medical care as well as nursing care to these patients. Tucker is enrolled in this Fall’s RN-BSN program at University of Maryland-Baltimore and plans to graduate from there in 2020.
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