UM’s Willis Receives Boykin Medal Of Excellence

The University of Mobile (UM) has announced Stefanie Willis as the recipient of its 2026 Samuel Boykin Medal of Excellence, an award established in 2019 to honor the legacy of Samuel M. Boykin, the university’s first African American graduate. Willis, a 2015 UM graduate, has built a distinguished career in nursing leadership, oncology care and workforce development while remaining committed to faith-based service and education. Born and raised in Luverne, Alabama, Willis graduated with honors from Luverne High School in 1992 before earning her Practical Nursing Certificate from MacArthur Technical College in 1996. She began her career at Luverne Nursing Home and Rehab and relocated to Mobile in 1999 to join Mobile Infirmary Medical Center, where she has now served for 27 years. Throughout her tenure at Mobile Infirmary, Willis has advanced from staff nurse to manager to director. She earned her associate degree in nursing from Bishop State Community College in 2002 and completed her BS in nursing at UM in 2015 as a member of the National College Honor Scholarship Society. She later earned her master’s degree with honors in 2017 and has been a certified oncology nurse since 2014. She has served for approximately three years as an adjunct nursing instructor at UM, where she teaches and mentors future nurses.