February 11, 2026

East Mississippi Community College Associate Degree Nursing students Alyssa Franks and Macy Minor were awarded “Good Samaritan Recognition” certificates for providing medical assistance following a two-car accident on Jan. 28.

Franks and Minor had spent the day in Jackson attending RN & APRN Day at the Capitol and were traveling together back to Columbus where they both reside when, just before sunset, they encountered a wreck on Highway 25 between Louisville and Starkville.

“We didn’t physically see the wreck happen, but it had just occurred,” Franks said. “We got out to help because nobody else was there.”

Franks and Minor said it appeared as if an SUV containing an elderly couple and a younger man in the back had been struck from behind by the driver of a second SUV, which had flipped upon impact.

“We ran to the first car and assessed the family,” Minor said. “The elderly man had hit his head and complained of a head pain, but they were walking around and appeared OK. They were just in shock.”

They ran to the second vehicle where the driver, who was the sole occupant, was climbing out of the window of the overturned vehicle.

“He had injured his hand it was pretty bloody,” Franks said.

Minor had a medical kit in the trunk of her car containing miscellaneous items left over from previous classes at EMCC. She ran and grabbed the kit and bandaged the man’s hand.

Meanwhile, Franks went back to check on the elderly couple. The woman was cold, so they put her in Minor’s car to warm up.

EMCC Director of Nursing Programs/Associate Dean of Health Sciences Jamonicia Johnson, Associate Degree Nursing Division Chair Dr. Eljenette West, and Associate Degree Nursing instructors Erica Horton and Laleta Stone had also attended RN & APRN Day at the Capitol and were on their way back to EMCC’s Golden Triangle campus when they encountered a line of cars backed up on the road because of the accident.

Johnson’s fear was that some of the several students and faculty from EMCC’s Division of Nursing and Health Sciences who were in Jackson that day may have been involved in the wreck. West, who was driving, stayed in the car, while Johnson, Horton and Stone, ran up to the accident scene.

“I saw someone in gray scrubs, and I immediately ran towards that person,” Johnson said. “It was our students, Alyssa and Macy, and they were attending to the victims to ensure that they were OK. Providing aid and comfort are among the core foundations of nursing. This made me so proud to see them display that kind of dedication to our profession.”

The EMCC nursing students, faculty and staff stayed on the scene of the accident until paramedics arrived.

Recently, Johnson and Associate Degree Nursing faculty surprised Franks and Minor in the middle of a nursing class by presenting them with certificates for their efforts on that day.

The “Good Samaritan Recognition” certificates recognized the students for “Demonstrating compassion, courage, and professionalism beyond expectation. Your selfless actions reflect the highest values of the nursing profession and serve as an inspiration to others.”

Franks, a licensed veterinarian technician of 10 years, likes the medical field and got into nursing to explore other career avenues. She said she feels that her and Minor “were just doing right by those people” involved in the accident.

“It was just the right thing to do,” Franks said. “If we had not felt compelled to stop and help, then we might need to have considered whether we were in the right educational program.”

Minor said her interest in the medical field first began when she discovered she enjoyed Human Anatomy and Physiology courses.

“I have family members who are nurses, so that kind of encouraged me to enter the field as well,” Minor said.

Franks and Minor will graduate in December of this year.