Empowered at Adtalem: Traci Scott

Traci Scott’s great-grandmother was a nurse. With an Empower Scholarship, she’s following in her footsteps.

“My story is about caring for others.”

Caring for others is a life lesson Traci Scott learned being raised by her grandmother and great-grandmother in Jacksonville, Florida. While her grandmother worked long hours for the U.S. Postal Service, Scott was at home with her great-grandmother, Elizabeth, hearing stories and learning about how she cared for others throughout her career as a nurse.

As Elizabeth grew older, she needed more at-home care. Scott was eager to help the two women who gave everything they could for her to grow up in a loving household without her parents around.

Scott knew from the moment her eldest daughter was born that she was called to continue Elizabeth’s legacy in nursing. 

I want to teach my children you have to be caring of others. Especially for my daughters. I always wanted them to have a household that was caring, loving, and felt like they belonged. Being able to see that and then entering the real world as a new mother, it was a no-brainer for me. I'm going to become a nurse.

Rooted in Nursing

Scott’s family is from New York, where Elizabeth was born in 1919. She found work as a family house aide. To thank her, the family paid for her training to become a nurse at the Hospital of New York, long before a degree became a requirement to practice.

After her training, Elizabeth relocated to Jacksonville where Scott grew up and now raises her five children with her husband. Her eldest, 19, is in the U.S. Army Reserve. Her second child, 17, is joining the U.S. Air Force. The three younger children—15, 5, and 3—are Scott's at-home motivations to always give her all at work and in Chamberlain University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. 

I work hard because that's what I want them to see. Not just as mom and dad, but as people, children mimic us, and I don't want anything less than 100% going into what they want to achieve.

About the Empower Scholarship Fund: A Beacon of Opportunity

Since its inception, the Empower Scholarship Fund has been a beacon of opportunity for students striving for academic excellence and personal growth. With 2,731 scholarships amounting to over $5.13 million offered in the past eight years, the fund has been instrumental in shaping the futures of aspiring scholars.

For Scott, it’s more than just a financial impact.

“I am doing this because I want it and I'm going to use every resource that is available to me to help me become a nurse. Getting this scholarship lifted me and gave me an extra push because Empower heard me.”

Learn more about the Empower Scholarship Fund.

For more information, email the Adtalem Global Communications Team: adtalemmedia@adtalem.com.