Braylee Mason, a 2024 graduate of Knoxville High School, was recently awarded a $2,000 scholarship from the Iowa Hospital Education and Research Foundation (IHERF), which is supported by the Iowa Hospital Association (IHA). 

Mason is among 100 students – 40 high school seniors and 60 college students – from all over Iowa who have received assistance this year from the IHERF Health Care Careers Scholarship Program. Currently employed at Knoxville Hospital & Clinics (KHC) as a CNA in the Emergency Department and as an Environmental Services Tech, Braylee will be attending DMACC in the fall to begin her pursuit of a nursing degree.

Having known she wanted to do something in the healthcare field since she was young, Braylee was first exposed to the nursing profession when she completed the CNA class offered through Knoxville High School and KHC and started working at KHC. IHA established the IHERF Health Care Careers Scholarship Program in 2004 to help address the ongoing shortage of healthcare professionals and encourage young Iowans to establish or continue their careers with Iowa hospitals.