LANCASTER — For the 20th consecutive year, the Antelope Valley Hospital (AVH) Auxiliary has shown its support for the future of healthcare in the valley by awarding scholarships to 15 local high school students interested in pursuing a career in medicine.
“One of the greatest contributions we can make as a hospital is to help encourage young people to pursue a career in healthcare and to live out their dreams,” said AVH Auxiliary President Harriet Lee. “Physicians, nurses, technicians, therapists and others will all be needed to keep up with the growing demand of our community; and it is our hope that many of these students will choose to care for patients in our valley when they complete their studies.”
Each of the students selected by the auxiliary scholarship committee received a $1,000 scholarship to go toward their healthcare-related studies and training. Chosen from a pool of 72 deserving applicants, each of the recipients – representing nine local high schools – has a minimum 3.5 grade point average and lives within the Antelope Valley Healthcare District.
Scholarship recipients from Quartz High School are Amelia Gibbs, Myranda Levenson, Anisha Singh, Apeksha Singh and Katrina Volk. Highland High School recipients are Justin Cortina and Sean Hormozian, while Littlerock High School recipients are Antonio Melgoza and Emily Trubey. Other recipients are Nicolas Mercier from Paraclete High School, Marvin Sanchez from SOAR High School, Cynthia Alvarado from Antelope Valley High School, Mariah Trujillo from Rosamond High School, Raquel Sandoval from Eastside High School, and Sochima Ezechukwu from Knight High School.
Between the aging of baby boomers and people living longer than ever before, there is already a national shortage in many healthcare fields, including primary care physicians, registered nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists and others. All indications are that this shortage will continue to worsen, making the training of the next generation of healthcare professionals more vital than ever.
“By supporting healthcare education for these 15 students, our auxiliary is also supporting Antelope Valley Hospital’s role in preparing for the future of healthcare in our community,” said Lee. “Every hospital has a responsibility to help ensure that much needed healthcare resources and trained professionals will be there for the next generation and beyond.”
The AVH Auxiliary provides support to the hospital by raising funds and by providing services to support the mission of AVH. Fundraising activities include running the hospital gift shop, thrift shop, auxiliary bake sale and seasonal sale events.
In addition to its annual health career scholarships program, some of the auxiliary’s past pledges benefited the Women and Infants Pavilion, continuing-care nursery, neonatal intensive care unit, labor and delivery, emergency department expansion, and state-of-the-art equipment for the critical care unit.
“Our auxiliary is a critical part of helping Antelope Valley Hospital fulfill its mission and demonstrating what not-for-profit healthcare is all about,” said AVH CEO Dennis Knox. “Our heartiest congratulations go out to these 15 outstanding high school students as they start their journey in an industry filled with good work, good people and good hearts.”
(Information via press release from Antelope Valley Hospital.)
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