New endowed scholarship honors Blinn nursing graduate

Miranda Mitchell Meckel memorialized with Nurses on Horses Scholarship

June 26, 2024

Miranda Mitchell Meckel loved horses, helping others, and nursing. A new Blinn College endowed scholarship established in her memory honors all three.

Miranda, a 2019 graduate of Blinn’s Associate Degree Nursing Program, passed away in a December 2021 traffic accident at age 26. To honor her passion for horses and healthcare, family members and friends recently gifted funds to the Blinn College Foundation to create the Miranda Meckel Nurses on Horses Scholarship for nursing students with a background in rodeo or horses.

Miranda was an accomplished barrel racer and member of the prestigious Texas A&M University rodeo team and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo “Horspitality” Committee. Her passions were training horses and teaching children to ride.

Following her graduation from Blinn, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington in May 2021. At the time of her passing, she was a student in the Family Nurse Practitioner Master’s Degree Program at Texas A&M’s College of Nursing and worked as an emergency room registered nurse at St. Joseph Hospital and Medical Center facilities in Bryan and Caldwell.

Miranda’s father, Kevin Mitchell, said she was “a natural volunteer” who helped rescue horses from floods, transported hay to the Texas Panhandle after wildfires, and volunteered at flu shot clinics.

“We wanted to create a lasting memorial to continue Miranda’s helping ways,” he said. “She loved being a nurse and she loved her horses. Being a nursing student and having horses can be challenging financially. With this scholarship, we can help others who share a love for rodeo and nursing.”

“By creating this scholarship, Miranda’s family shows how much she was loved,” said Nancy Berry, Chair of the Foundation. “Her legacy through this endowed scholarship will help nursing students for generations.”

Anyone wanting to contribute to the Miranda Meckel Nurses on Horses scholarship fund can find more information at the Foundation website or contact Executive Director Susan Myers at [email protected].

The Blinn Foundation is a tax-exempt organization that provides financial support for programs and activities that enhance the quality of education for Blinn students and expand educational opportunities. It oversees more than 300 endowed scholarships.

Endowed scholarships are available to incoming and returning students from various backgrounds, majors, and experiences. Students are considered based on high academic achievement, participation in student activities, and community involvement.

Current high school and college students can apply for Blinn scholarships by completing the application at www.blinn.edu/scholarships. Before applying for scholarships, students must complete their application for admission to Blinn College at www.applytexas.org.