Baystate Health Awards $25,000 in Scholarships to Local Students Pursuing Healthcare Careers

Springfield, MASS.  - Baystate Health awarded $25,000 in scholarships to 22 Springfield students pursuing careers in healthcare through the Baystate Springfield Educational Partnership (BSEP). All recipients are BSEP alumni now enrolled in post-secondary education, and 10 of them currently work at Baystate Health.

The scholarships were celebrated at a recent event, with recipients, their families and friends, and Baystate Health leaders in attendance. Melonie Jackson, Chief People Officer, addressed the audience noting, “As alumni of BSEP, you’ve already demonstrated something incredibly important: when access meets opportunity, extraordinary things happen”.

Natalie Guzman-Escalera, a former BSEP student, scholarship recipient, and now a Baystate Health employee, also spoke at the event. She shared her story and described how BSEP and the scholarship helped her education and nursing career.

Many BSEP students face financial barriers to pursuing higher education. BSEP scholarships help reduce that burden by providing funding for post-secondary education, allowing students to focus on achieving their academic and professional goals.

The scholarships are funded through Baystate Health’s Community Benefits Program, which has awarded more than $850,000 in scholarships to BSEP students and alumni to date.

Baystate Health is proud to honor the 2025 scholarship recipients. These dedicated BSEP alumni are now in college and working toward careers in healthcare. Their hard work and determination reflect Baystate Health’s mission to strengthen the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

Founded in 2007, the BSEP program has served more than 4,700 individuals and currently counts 403 alums among Baystate Health employees.

Scholarship recipients are attending institutions including UMass Chan Medical School–Baystate, UMass Amherst, Tufts University, Brown University, Dartmouth College, Springfield Technical Community College, and several other colleges and universities nationwide. Their career interests span a wide range of healthcare fields, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, diagnostic medical sonography, behavioral neuroscience, biotechnology, and clinical psychology.

For more information about the Baystate Springfield Educational Partnership, visit baystatehealth.org/bsep.