HFC nursing student first recipient of Dearborn Goodfellows Scholarship
CAPTION: HFC Foundation's Stacy Bazman (left), HFC nursing student Mevlana Selman (center), and Larry Johnson of the Dearborn Goodfellows (right). Selman is the first recipient of the Dearborn Goodfellows Scholarship and will be featured in the Dearborn Goodfellows newspaper's holiday edition on sale for a donation Nov. 30 through Dec. 1.
HFC nursing student Mevlana Selman couldn’t believe she’s the first recipient of the Dearborn Goodfellows Scholarship.
“It’s crazy! I had no idea. I wasn’t aware I’m the first. I’ve never been the first at anything. It’s an honor,” said Selman.
In addition to winning the $500 scholarship, Selman’s photo and story will be featured in the Dearborn Goodfellows newspaper’s annual holiday edition that will be sold by Goodfellows members throughout the city of Dearborn Friday, Nov. 30, and Saturday, Dec. 1. The cost is a donation. This is part of the Goodfellows’ “No Dearborn Child without a Christmas!” program, which the organization has been running since 1922.
Selman is flattered by this attention and, admittedly, slightly overwhelmed.
“This not normal for me. I’m a very quiet person,” she said. “Still, it’s an honor and a great feeling!”
HFC was like home
A 2015 alumna of Dearborn High School, Selman is the fourth of sixth siblings. Two of her older sisters, Vlora Selman and Argentime Selman, graduated from HFC with their associate degrees in accounting and nursing, respectively.
“HFC was the best option for me when I graduated from high school," said Selman. "HFC was like home; it was very intimate. It was always HFC. Nothing else was even an option.”
Originally, Selman was a business major, but she quickly changed it to nursing. She got her first taste of nursing at age 13 when her late grandmother, who’d suffered a stroke, came to live with her family. Selman was one of her grandmother’s primary caregivers, taking on a great responsibility at a young age.
“My mom, my sister (Argentime) and I came together and helped out,” recalled Selman. “You could say it was my first hands-on experience.”
Scoring high on the NAT
Earlier this year, Selman passed the HESI Nursing Admission Test (NAT), which allows students entry into HFC’s nursing program. Selman took the NAT before and didn’t pass it.
“I was super shell-shocked,” she recalled. “I questioned myself. I questioned if nursing was the right program for me. I put it off and put if off until I couldn’t put if off anymore.”
Determined to pass the NAT, Selman put in long hours studying for it in addition to her other classes at HFC. She scored in the high 90s.
“I was so proud of myself – and relieved,” she said, laughing.
Currently, Selman is doing her clinicals at Beaumont Hospital Trenton, which end Thursday, Dec. 6. Her next semester of clinicals begins in early 2019.
"We are so proud of Mevlana"
“We are so proud of Mevlana and honored that she chose Henry Ford College,” said Dr. Susan Shunkwiler, Dean of the HFC School of Health and Human Services. “Her dedication and hard work paid off. She exemplifies the type of nurse we need in our profession today.”
After graduating from HFC in 2020 with her associate degree in nursing, Selman plans to transfer to either Michigan State University or the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to obtain her bachelor's degree in nursing. She plans to specialize in pediatric intensive care.
“HFC’s nursing program is top notch and is renowned throughout the region,” said Selman. “I am honored to have been accepted into it and I’ve learned so much. The nursing program at HFC will not only serve me well when I transfer to a four-year university, but also in the field. I am proud to be a student in the nursing program here at HFC.”