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By Jeanna Baxter White
Word Master Media Group

From a young age, Merritt Killian knew he wanted to help others.
Early exposure to healthcare came during visits to the nursing home where his mother worked as a nursing supervisor while his father was deployed with the Air Force.
“It was really my first experience being surrounded by people who needed care,” he said. “It planted the seed that I wanted to help people and be there for them when others weren’t.”
That seed has grown into a focused pursuit of a medical career – made possible, in part, by the Ignite Davie College Promise.
Ignite Davie is a place-based last-dollar scholarship that provides tuition, fees, and a book stipend for Davie high school graduates to attend Davidson-Davie Community College (DDCC) or select programs at Forsyth Technical Community College (Forsyth Tech) on a full-time basis.
Students may pursue a certificate, diploma, or associate/transfer program. All eligible high school graduates, regardless of financial need or academic ability, can continue their educationand training.
“If I hadn’t attended DDCC with the help of Ignite Davie, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work and learn at Davie Medical Center,” he said. “I also saved a lot of money compared to paying for four years at NC State.”
He urges students not to underestimate the value of community college. “There’s a stigma that a community college education isn’t as good as a four-year university education. I totally disagree. Some of my DDCC classes were harder than those at NC State. It all depends on the professor—and I had some great ones.”
Killian graduated from DDCC in January 2023 with an associate degree, then transferred to NC State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in genetics in December 2024. He graduated with a 4.0 grade point average and served as vice president of the Genetics Club.
Thanks to Career & College Promise dual enrollment credits he earned in high school, he was able to graduate a semester early, allowing him to focus on preparing for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).
“I really enjoyed my time at NC State. The professors were fantastic, and I appreciated the diversity and the opportunity to participate in research,” he said.
Killian took the MCAT on May 31 and is awaiting his scores, hoping to begin medical school interviews in August. He has started applying, with plans to enroll in the fall of 2026.
“I decided to become a physician because I want to guide families through the unknowns that come with medical conditions and play a primary role in their care,” he said. He is leaning toward emergency medicine but is keeping his options open.
“I enjoy working with people from all walks of life, and I thrive on the variety that emergency medicine offers.”
Killian has worked at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Davie Medical Center for the past four years as a certified nursing assistant in the emergency department. In July, he will also begin working in the Cardiovascular ICU at Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.
“At Davie Medical Center, our main role is to stabilize patients and either release them or prepare them for further treatment,” he said. “It will be nice to follow patients further along their recovery journey in the ICU and work collaboratively with the inpatient specialists.”
His top choice for medical school is Wake Forest School of Medicine. “I’ve worked with so many great doctors from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. It would be coming full circle to attend Wake, but I’ll be happy with any school I get into. I’ve worked with a lot of nursing assistants who are now nurses, physician assistants, or in PA school, and I hope it will soon be my turn.
“If I had it to do over again, I wouldn’t change a thing,” Killian said.
His advice to current high school students?
Take advantage of Career and College Promise dual enrollment, pursue Career and Technical Education courses, apply for scholarships, and especially the Ignite Davie College Promise.
As Carolyn McManamy, director of DavieCONNECT and Ignite Davie partner, said: “Ignite Davie is more than a scholarship, it’s an investment in our students and in Davie County’s future. Merritt’s journey is proof of that.”
To learn more about Ignite Davie, the complete eligibility requirements, or to contribute, visit IGNITEDAVIE.com.