And here they are!
Academic
Scholarships Awarded to Local Students Pursuing Medical Fields
St. Augustine, FL (July 30, 2023) - The St. Johns
County Medical Alliance (SJCMA) and the St. Johns County Medical Society have
awarded new scholarships to two students and seven students have received
continued financial support. The SJCMA awards include new scholarships to St.
Johns County high school graduates of Pedro Menendez High School.
Monetary awards are also made to former scholarship winners who are continuing studies in medical fields. These awards are given to students who keep in touch with the Alliance and stay on track with their goals.
Rachel Gupton first received an SJCMA
scholarship in 2015 at high school graduation. She graduated from the
University of Florida (UF) in 2019 with a nursing degree and worked at Wolfson
Children’s and Cincinnati Children’s Hospitals. In 2021, she began a pediatric
nurse practitioner degree from University of Alabama Birmingham and graduates
this year.
Ongoing scholars include Sydney Sylvester who plans to graduate in 2025 with a pre-med focused mechanical engineering degree. She has been part of the UF Dream Team, 3D printing cardiac models for Shands Hospital physicians. Obtaining a CNA certification allows her to work while taking classes for her degree.
Michael Guyot, a 2021 scholar, is in the Medical Honors Program with early entrance into the UF College of Medicine. He maintains a 4.0 GPA and is interested in orthopedic surgery.
Originally an SJCMA scholar in 2018, Margaret Gupton graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt in 2022 with a BS in Special Education with Severe Disabilities while obtaining pre-requisites for occupational therapy and speech pathology. She is currently at the University of South Florida seeking her MS in Speech Pathology.
Kyra Brenneman, at Carnegie Mellon University, looks to be a pediatric oncologist. She still plays (varsity) softball, joined the pre-med fraternity and is extremely active and involved with the school and community.
Looking to graduate in 2026, Gabrielle Monk works as a Certified Nursing Assistant while focusing all her school prerequisites on a Nursing degree. She stays active and involved.
Joseph Dolce is studying Microbiology and Cell Science at UF (class of 2026), hoping to be accepted into the Medical Honors Program and start medical school a year early with his current interest in anesthesiology.
Taylor Thomson is part of the Honors College at UF studying towards an Applied Physiology and Kinesiology degree while maintaining a 3.9 GPA. She serves as president of the UF medical branch of Volunteers Around the World, while working at Shands Hospital.
This year’s scholars, both from Pedro
Menendez High School, include:
Amanda Hertz received her AA degree from St. Johns River
State College at the same time as her high school, graduation. She will
start her nursing studies at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, hoping to
transfer to UF for a BSN degree with the dream to be a nurse practitioner.
Ryan Rainey heads to Florida State University to pursue a
bachelor’s degree in nursing. A nurse anesthetist or travel nursing is the most
attractive to him.
Each year, the St. Johns County Medical Alliance, in conjunction with the St. Johns County Medical Society, offers academic scholarships to graduating St. Johns County high school seniors pursuing an education in pre-medicine, nursing, or allied health. Scholarship applicants are evaluated on academic ability, school involvement, community service and an interview.
The SJCMA represents spouses of St. Johns
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