Kaitlyn Bragg recently was the 2014 recipient of the Maria Petti Scholarship granted each year by Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Michigan City. The $5,000 award was established in 2009 in honor of Petti, one of Franciscan St. Anthony-Health’s most highly regarded nursing professionals, who died from cancer at age 53 in August 2008.
The scholarship is paid directly to the recipient’s school to help defray the cost of tuition. Bragg attends Valparaiso University in her hometown where she expects to complete a bachelor of science degree in nursing in May 2016. She is vice president of the university’s Student Nursing Association and a member of the Alpha Phil Omega co-ed service fraternity. She also works on Sundays as a youth mentor at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Student Center in Valparaiso.
Bragg, a 2012 Valparaiso High School graduate, hopes to continue her education after receiving the degree by working as a surgical pediatric nurse in Northwest Indiana. She currently is an registered nurse fellow at another area hospital and hopes to be an RN fellow at Franciscan St. Anthony Health next summer. Bragg said she was grateful for the scholarship and hopes to continue the legacy of Maria Petti through service to the area.