Five area students have received an increase in their college fund, courtesy of the Baystate Wing Hospital Auxiliary. The hospital’s volunteer group recently presented $5,000 in scholarships to high school students pursuing careers in healthcare.
Each year the scholarships are financed by the hard work and dedicated fundraising efforts of the Auxiliary members.
The Auxiliary awarded scholarships to seniors graduating from Ludlow, Monson, Palmer, Pathfinder and Ware High schools who are pursuing higher education in a healthcare field. The students were chosen based on their academic excellence, volunteer efforts and related community service, work experience, and dedication to their goals.
The 2021 Scholarship Award Recipients
A committee reviewed the applications of area students in April, as they do each year, to select the students who this year will each receive a $1000 scholarship.
The 2021 scholarship award recipients include:
- Tori Edwards from Palmer High School who will be pursuing a degree in biomedical science
- Kaitlyn Rodrigues from Ludlow High School who will be a pursuing degree as a physician assistant
- Makayla Davenport from Pathfinder Regional High School who will be pursuing a degree in occupational therapy
- Lexie Orszulak from Ware High School who will be pursuing a degree in nursing
- Alex Doyle from Monson High School who will be pursuing a degree as a physician assistant
“We are extremely proud of these students and grateful to the Baystate Wing Hospital Auxiliary members for their continued dedication to our hospital and our communities,” said Ursula St. Amand, chairman of the scholarship committee. “These scholarships are an investment in our area youth and will help to build a healthcare workforce for the future.”
About the Auxiliary
For over 65 years, the Auxiliary has been actively supporting Baystate Wing Hospital through their sponsorship of special events and management of the gift shop. This diverse group of women and men include teachers, nurses, business owners, both young and retirees, who live in many different communities and are united by a shared commitment to support the mission of the hospital.
The COVID-19 pandemic created some challenges for this group of committed volunteers. They had to temporarily close the gift shop in March of 2020 which restricted their ability to fund raise for the annual scholarship awards.
“We are all looking forward to returning to our work serving as Auxiliary members at the hospital.” said St. Amand.
“We are thankful to the Auxiliary members for their continued commitment and support and we look forward to a time when they can return to the Baystate Wing Hospital Gift Shop when the hospital is allowed to lift restrictions,” said Teresa Grove, philanthropy officer for Baystate Health’s Eastern Region.