Brittany Brooks, a Bainbridge High School graduate, received a Pope Fellowship on behalf of the Rosalyn Carter Institute for Caregiving.

Brooks is currently a sophomore majoring in nursing at Georgia Southwestern State University.

The Pope Fellowship/Scholarship Program was established in 1996 through an endowment from the late John and Betty Pope of Americus to promote a better understanding of the importance of professional and family caregivers. Students majoring in such fields as nursing, psychology, counseling, social work, pre-med and sociology have been awarded scholarship money through the program.

Fellows must be enrolled in the Caregiver Specialist Certificate Program at GSW to receive this scholarship. This certificate is the only one of its kind and represents the commitment of Georgia Southwestern State University to prepare leaders in the field of caregiving. The amount of the award is determined annually, and has ranged from $3,000 to $5,000 per academic year.

Leisa Easom, Pope Eminent Scholar and director of the Pope Fellowship/Scholarship Program, said, “We hope to increase awareness and alter the lens by which these students view caregivers and their needs. These students need to understand about the challenges, stresses and rewards of caregivers. Hopefully, they will also share this knowledge with others.”