When Pfeiffer University alumna Taylor Mauldin was diagnosed with cancer in 2022, she dove into her Bible and came across a few words she has come to live by. These were “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,” from Proverbs 17:22 (KJV).

“I have just clung to that verse,” said Mauldin, a devout Christian who lives in Norwood, N.C. “Every time I get discouraged, I think to myself, ‘It’s okay to have emotions and it’s okay to be down, but you just can’t stay down.’”

Mauldin has persevered through treatments, and her prognosis is good. Having earned a B.S. degree in Nursing from Pfeiffer, she now works as a Circulator in the OR at Atrium Health Stanly, in Albemarle, N.C. Before she graduated in May 2025, she learned that the Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina organization would award her one of its annual scholarships, for which she was formally recognized on Oct. 11 during the organization’s annual gala in Goldsboro, N.C.

“It’s a huge honor,” Mauldin said. “I just feel very thankful. I had no idea this was even a thing before now, and it just makes me feel like I made a good impression on somebody at some point in time, so that’s wonderful.”

Since its founding in 1985, the Great 100 Nurses of North Carolina has honored registered nurses for their contributions to the nursing profession. The organization also makes scholarship funds available to nursing programs at colleges and universities, which, in turn, choose the recipients of scholarships.

Dr. Dana Martin, a Professor and Interim Department Chair of Pfeiffer’s Nursing program, said that Pfeiffer’s nursing faculty unanimously selected Mauldin as the recipient of the Great 100 scholarship “because of her motivation to pursue her bachelor’s degree in nursing and her dedication to the profession of nursing.”

Mauldin, 30, feels called to continue serving her native Stanly (N.C.) County as a nurse for the long haul. She arrived at Pfeiffer as a registered nurse, having earned an associate’s degree from Stanly Community College. She enrolled in Pfeiffer’s online RN-to-BSN program because it was in her price range and because she could drive to its offices if she needed in-person assistance. Her practical experience includes stints as a CNA at a local nursing home and as a nurse in surgical and intensive care units. She’s considering resuming her former role as a House Supervisor for Atrium Health Stanly (an appointment that required her to earn her BSN degree within three years).

She feels that her current nursing position affords her an optimal work-life balance, which includes everything from addressing her health and spiritual needs to being a wife to her husband, Tyler, and a mother to Josie, her seven-year-old daughter.

“I work full-time,” she said. “I’m the youth leader at our church and I coach my daughter’s cheerleading squad. I’m a busy gal.” ”Taylor is a resilient, caring, and compassionate nurse,” Martin said. “She will positively represent the Great 100 Student Scholarship Award, as well as Pfeiffer University.”