JALC Nursing Instructor Crystal Young’s Impact on Nursing Students Inspires a Local Family to Establish a Scholarship in Her Honor
Published on June 5, 2025
John A. Logan College Assistant Professor Crystal Young was preparing for what she believed was a routine visit from the school’s Marketing Department when she was met instead with an emotional surprise: the announcement of a new nursing scholarship created in her honor.
The Crystal Young Nursing Scholarship, established by former student and Registered Nurse Hannah Hooks and her father, retired Illinois State Police Lt. Michael Hooks, was unveiled in a heartfelt classroom ceremony this week. The scholarship is believed to be the first of its kind at John A. Logan College to bear the name of a current faculty member.
“This speaks to the immediate impact that our outstanding faculty are having on students,” said Staci Shafer, Assistant Vice President for Advancement and Executive Director of the JALC Foundation, who made the announcement before a stunned Young and her students. “Not in my time with the Foundation, and to my knowledge not before, has a scholarship been established in the name of a current JALC instructor.”
Michael Hooks said the scholarship is a tribute to Young’s lasting influence on students, such as his daughter, Hannah, who is now a registered nurse at Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. Young served as both the school nurse and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) instructor during Hannah’s high school years.
“My daughter is now an RN because of Crystal Young,” Hooks said. “She and her classmates are thriving in their careers, and it’s because of the foundation Nurse Crystal laid for them. I wanted to recognize the incredible impact she’s had—and will continue to have—by establishing this scholarship.”
For Hannah Hooks, the decision to honor her former instructor was deeply personal. She said Young’s encouragement and empathy helped her discover a calling she hadn’t initially considered.
“In high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” she said. “But Nurse Crystal encouraged me to take her CNA class at John A. Logan College. That’s when I fell in love with caring for patients.”
She recalled one particularly challenging day during clinicals when Young took time to speak with her one-on-one.
“She didn’t just teach us about nursing—she took the time to see us as people,” Hannah said. “That moment meant everything to me, and I’ve carried that compassion into my nursing career.”
Young, who has dedicated years to shaping the next generation of healthcare professionals, was visibly moved by the recognition. After thanking the Hooks for the incredible honor and posing for a few pictures, Young did just what she was meant to do and started right back in teaching the next generation of CNAs and Nurses.
This scholarship will support future nursing students at John A. Logan College, ensuring that Young’s legacy of mentorship and compassion continues to have a lasting impact on the healthcare field for years to come. For more information about this and other scholarships available at John A. Logan College, visit www.jalcfoundation.org