- December 7, 2025
A recent Coke Zero Sugar 400 race weekend at Daytona International Speedway turned the victory spotlight onto local students.
Ten high school students were awarded AdventHealth's Racing to Excellence Nursing Scholarship at the race, a AdventHealth press release said. The high school graduates, from Volusia, Flagler, and Lake counties, were given full scholarships to pursue nursing degrees at AdventHealth University.
AdventHealth University is headquartered in Orlando with additional sites in Denver and Tampa. The University will allow the 10 scholarship recipients to train in local hospitals alongside experienced nurses.
“This goes far beyond covering tuition,” said Michele Goeb-Burkett, chief nursing officer for AdventHealth’s East Florida Division. “It’s about opening doors for students who feel called to care for others and, in turn, ensuring our neighbors have more skilled nurses right here in our community.”
The students received their scholarships in Victory Lane at the International Speedway because AdventHealth has been the official Health Care Provider of Daytona International Speedway since 2015, the press release said. NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones, who drives the No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry, encouraged the students to pursue their dreams with determination.
As part of the ceremony, the students received their first lab coats — a symbol of both the knowledge they will gain and the compassion they will carry forward into every patient encounter, the press release said.
With the local population growing faster than the national average, the need for more nurses is pressing. By investing in students from the community, AdventHealth hopes many of them will remain in the region to care for their neighbors.
“This is just the beginning of their journey,” Goeb-Burkett said. “These students will become part of a legacy of care that touches not only patients, but families and entire communities.”
