Kaiser Permanente awarded $300,000 to graduating high school seniors pursuing healthcare careers in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and Baltimore.
ROCKVILLE, Md.— Kaiser Permanente announced the recipients of its 2021 Health Equity Scholarship Program, which aims to develop healthier communities by helping young leaders, particularly those in underrepresented communities, achieve their dreams of going to college and pursuing careers in the healthcare field. Sixty graduating high school seniors in the mid-Atlantic each received $5,000-scholarships, administered through the United Negro College Fund and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Scholarship recipients were announced August 23, 2021. Additionally, both scholarships are now accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year.
“At Kaiser Permanente, we believe that everyone should have access to high-quality, equitable health care,” said Cynthia Cifuentes, vice president of Brand, Communications & Community Engagement at Kaiser Permanente. “To realize that vision, we must invest in developing culturally competent, diverse health care providers that represent all communities. We’re proud to offer the Health Equity Scholarship Program to students from underrepresented communities and improve equitable access to education and health care. Congratulations to our Health Equity Program scholars!”
Each scholarship recipient is enrolled in an accredited, public or not-for-profit, four-year university or community college for the 2021 through 2022 academic school year and are pursuing a clinical (physician, pharmacist, practitioner, nurse) or nonclinical (accounting, finance, human resources, administration, operations, public policy) career in the health care industry. For the current academic school year, 57% of the recipients of the Health Equity Scholarship Program are African American, 33% are Latinx, and 10% are Asian Pacific Islander, American Indian and Caucasian. Moreover, 58% are first-generation college students and 33% are attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Congratulations to the 2021 Health Equity Scholarship Recipients:
(List includes scholarship recipient name, home state, and college enrollment.)
- Boluwatife Agboke, Maryland, Stevenson University
- Anisah Allen, Maryland, University of Maryland Baltimore County
- Alexa Amaya, Maryland, Trinity Washington University
- Audriana Amos, Virginia, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
- Angyeaba Aparandi, Maryland, Towson University
- Rodolfo Argueta-Rios, Maryland, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Abdul Rehman, Ariff, Maryland, University of Maryland, College Park
- Taylor Ball, Maryland, Saint Joseph’s University
- Davina Boison, Virginia, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Jonathan Calderon, Maryland, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Kathya Castro Guevara, Maryland, Montgomery College
- Dina Cazun-Moreno, Virginia, Columbia University
- Christopher Celarie, Maryland, University of Maryland, College Park
- Jarrett Cephus, Virginia, Susquehanna University
- Jaliyah Cleveland, District of Columbia, Howard University
- IsabelbCotoc Otzoy, District of Columbia, Marymount University
- Ariana Dabner, Maryland, Bowie State University
- Luis Delgado, Maryland, Frederick Community College
- Amanda Drummer, Virginia, Spelman College
- Aniya Duke, Virginia, Virginia State University
- Chinedu Ejeh, Maryland, Dartmouth College
- Wawen Ewimbi, Maryland, Howard University
- Mhlengi Famakinwa, District of Columbia, Howard University
- Christopher Flores-Moreno, District of Columbia, George Washington University
- Morgan Franklin, Maryland, Hampton University
- Maia Gay, Maryland, University of Maryland Baltimore County
- Tania Guzman, Virginia, Old Dominion University
- Jahayra Guzman-Rivas, Virginia, George Mason University
- Nyla Harding, Maryland, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
- Emely Hernandez Escobar, Virginia, Germanna Community College
- Armani Hodges, Virginia, Howard University
- Samyra James, Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Dora Kanu, Maryland, Howard University
- Khaja’ Lewis, Maryland, Towson University
- Cecilia Llamas, Maryland, University of Miami
- Aaron McBride, Virginia, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
- Blanca Morales, District of Columbia, Trinity Washington University
- Marcia Morales Contreras, Maryland, University of Maryland, College Park
- Blawal Mubashir, Virginia, George Mason University
- Jenny Nguyen, Maryland, University of Maryland Baltimore County
- Michelle Njoku, Maryland, Frostburg State University
- Amira O’Neal, Maryland, Howard University
- Patrick O’Neal, Virginia, Virginia State University
- Mariah Oddiah, Virginia, James Madison University
- Jordan Ogbolu, Maryland, New York University
- Seriah Patterson, Maryland, Howard University
Recognizing that education is critical to a healthy, thriving community, the Health Equity Scholarship Program is part of Kaiser Permanente’s larger Workforce Development and College and Career Readiness Strategy which seeks to provide students with exposure to careers in health care and STEM through internships, mentoring and shadowing opportunities. Kaiser Permanente has already sent communications to 80 collaborator schools across the Mid-Atlantic region to help attract applicants for the scholarship program.
“I highly applaud Kaiser Permanente’s efforts to increase the pipeline of diverse individuals for the health workforce,” said Kim Dobson Snydor, PhD, Dean of the School of Community Health and Policy at Morgan State University, which has collaborated with Kaiser Permanente on several community health initiatives related to equity and education. “In creating and expanding these scholarship opportunities, the doors are further opened for students to move into health careers they may not otherwise have envisioned for themselves. We are excited to work with Kaiser Permanente to support this important program.”
Kaiser Permanente is accepting online applications for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund now through March; to learn more or apply for this scholarship click here. Kaiser Permanente will accept applications for the United Negro College Fund scholarships now through May 1, 2022; learn more and apply for this scholarship here.
