Category: Scholarships

Shannon is studying nursing at Carroll College in Helena, Montana. She always knew she wanted to go into the medical field and care for those who are sick or injured and says, “I was drawn to nursing because I want to be at the patients’ bedsides and be a source of compassion and strength for them and their families as they navigate uncertain or scary diagnoses.” After completing her program, Shannon plans to work as an ICU or ER nurse so she can become a flight nurse in the future. She would also like to work with pediatric patients in an oncology unit at some point.

“The best study tip I’ve picked up is to make a list of each step in a big project so that even if you aren’t able to complete the whole project at once, you can still cross something off your list,” Shannon says. Outside of school, she is very active in church and also enjoys taking walks into downtown Helena with friends, rock climbing, hiking, kayaking and downhill skiing in the winter.

Of her MSHF scholarship, Shannon says, “The Matsu Health Foundation scholarship has significantly helped ease the financial burden so that I can further my education. It gives me so much confidence to know my community believes in me and is willing to invest in my education.”

Click here to learn more about Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship programs.

Sarah’s program of study is occupational safety and health at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She says, “Providing the workers in my community with the necessary skills and training to go home healthy to their friends and family is very rewarding.” Sarah accepted a position with a regional airline to begin after completing her program. She also plans to work toward her bachelor’s degree.

Sarah’s best study tip? “Literally write everything down!” Outside of school, Sarah enjoys hiking and fishing. She also adds, “My family is expecting our first child in February! We are very excited.”

Of her MSHF scholarship, Sarah says, “Without the MSHF Scholarship, I would not have been able to complete my associate degree. It is an amazing program for the community and I am very grateful to have been apart of it!”

Interested in learning more about Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship programs? Click here to register for an upcoming virtual MSHF Scholarship Info Session!

Rachel is a full-time student pursuing a major in nursing and a minor in psychology from Mat-Su College. She says, “I am very drawn to the variety of career opportunities nursing provides. I am also inspired by my mother who is a licensed nurse practitioner for the PHS.” After completing her programs, she plans to gain experience at one of the local hospitals in the Mat-Su or Anchorage areas, and eventually pursue travel nursing.

Her best tip is to make an organized schedule of assignment due dates and class times that remains at the front of your desk. Rachel says, “Write out your designated study time for each day of the week and stick to it; if you fail to plan – plan to fail!” Outside of school, she spends the majority of her time reading and studying, but she also enjoys hiking, fishing and all the typical outdoor activities familiar to Alaska.

Rachel says of her MSHF scholarship, “Being awarded with my MSHF Scholarship has eased the stress of my journey through education. It is helping me spend less time working for school funds and more time actually studying so I can succeed in school!”

Interested in learning more about Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship programs? Click here to register for an upcoming virtual MSHF Scholarship Info Session!

Margarita is studying to become a RN at the University of Alaska Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna College. She is currently in the pre-major program and completing her prerequisites. Margarita’s 14+ years working as a direct support provider for special needs kids and adults and caring, some that require 24-hour total care, as well as working as a ward clerk at the hospital locally inspired her to pursure the program. After graduating, she plans to continue working with special needs people and work as an RN at the local hospital.

Her best study tip is to have a study buddy! Margarita says, “Having another person to quiz each other and discuss the class and subjects is really helpful, especially during this pandemic and a lot of classes aren’t in person. Plus, if you need help, having someone to work problems through with is great!” Outside of school, she enjoys spending time and doing activities with her husband, three kids and their dog.

Of her MSHF scholarship, Margarita says, “MSHF has helped me achieve my educational goals by allowing me to continue my education so that I can achieve my dream of being an RN and give back to our community that we’ve lived in for many years.”

Interested in learning more about Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship programs? Click here to register for an upcoming virtual MSHF Scholarship Info Session!

Leslie is studying to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMH-NP) at the University of Alaska. She was drawn to the program because of her desire to further her education so she can better address the mental health needs of our area. After completing her program, Leslie plans to work in Alaska with a focus toward children and adolescents with behavioral and/or mental health disorders.

Of her best study tip, Leslie says, “Work ahead when you can! There will always be things that come up that throw off your schedule.” Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her husband and son fishing, hiking and camping.

Leslie says of her MSHF scholarship, “The MSHF scholarship has helped fund my tuition lessening the financial burden that higher education so often produces.”

Interested in learning more about Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship programs? Click here to register for an upcoming virtual MSHF Scholarship Info Session!

Kelly is pursuing her Design Thinking certificate at Cornell University. On what drew her to the program, Kelly says, “In my work as a community organizer and program developer, I was always balancing between the human needs and expressed frustrations with current programs and I was developing innovative cohorts with unique curricula. I felt that the Design Thinking tools were a good fit for the types of human-centered programing I wanted to produce. The certificate program at Cornell placed me in a team of other innovators who were engineers, analysts and program developers from around the world. It was exciting to blend community organizing methodology with a Design framework.”

Kelly currently works for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and after completing her certificate, she plans to begin working with a small team that and train them to us Design Thinking tools so they can implement them in their program creation. She says, “It brings us out of our own ‘wants’ and helps us listen intently to the people who will be accessing our content.”

Her best study tip she also calls a life hack: have a planner that breaks up your year into months and weeks. One with reflection sections to evaluate where you did great and where you need to focus on improving next week is especially helpful. Kelly says, “I use this to help me schedule time for course work, field work, reading and submitting assignments.” Her recommendation is Panda Planner. Outside of school, Kelly loves to travel! She says, “My job takes me all over the country, but I really enjoy having a great meal in a new place with friends I just met.”

Of her MSHF scholarship, Kelly says, “I am grateful for the MSHF Scholarship because I was able to get this certificate at the time when I needed it the most: building national training programs. Financially, the certificate would not have been feasible until later in my career but MSHF made it possible now where I can benefit from the education, putting the learning into practice immediately.”

Interested in learning more about Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship programs? Click here to register for an upcoming virtual MSHF Scholarship Info Session!

Karen is studying medical billing and coding at Ashworth College. A friend recommended the school to Karen and she thought it would be helpful to be able to complete the program while still developing her doula business. After completing her program, she plans to provide billing services to a local midwife and hopes to expand her services to other Mat-Su businesses.

Her best study tip is to set up a goals and rewards system! Outside of school, Karen enjoys spending with family and friends, as well as enjoying the beautiful state of Alaska.

Of her MSHF scholarship, Karen says, “It is a huge help during a time when COVID turned our family income upside down.”

Interested in learning more about Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship programs? Click here to register for an upcoming virtual MSHF Scholarship Info Session!

Justin is enrolled in the nursing program at the University of Alaska Anchorage. He says, “I was drawn to the medical field because I find it rewarding helping and caring for people. The pandemic has made me more passionate about this field.” After completing his program, his goal is to work at Mat-Su Regional Center so he can serve his community.

Justin says COVID has definitely impacted his approach to studying since classes moved online. He says, “The best tip I’ve picked up during my time spent studying and doing homework is to take lots of breaks. Breaks are important for the brain to catch a break and rest.” Outside of school, he enjoys playing guitar, kayaking and foraging for berries and other edibles.

Of his MSHF scholarship, Justin says, “I do not do well with online classes. The Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship helped me immensely during the difficult transition to online classes because of Covid. With the scholarship, I excelled in my classes because I was able to use the scholarship for technology needs that I would not otherwise have been able to afford. In addition, books are incredibly expensive. The scholarship allowed me the financial ability to purchase books. Overall, the scholarship has allowed me to invest in my future and set me up to give back to my community.”

Interested in learning more about Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship programs? Click here to register for an upcoming virtual MSHF Scholarship Info Session!

Jayme is originally from Talkeetna and moved to the big island, Hawai’i, in 2020 to begin a two-year advanced standing graduate program in social work. She is currently a MSW student focusing on behavioral and mental health in the Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health at the University of Hawaii Manoa. On what drew her to the program, Jayme says, “After many years navigating the UA system, I graduated with a BSW from UAF and not long after decided that I should continue on to get further education. At that time, however, there were no appropriate online options to obtain a social work graduate level degree in Alaska, so I began searching outside of my home state for other options and found that many Alaskans had attended UHM.”

After graduating, Jayme plans to work at a rural area employment site where she can put in the required 3000 hours of clinical supervision needed to apply for the LCSW exam. Her best study tip is to learn how to be a good “skimmer.” She says, “It is near to impossible to live a normal life and read everything required for graduate level courses. Learning to skim for most important content and to summarize material effectively is a very valuable and time saving skill.” Outside of school, Jayme enjoys being outdoors and connecting with nature. She also loves to sing and play music, read, bake and be creative, as well as keep in touch with her Alaska family and friends.

Of her MSHF scholarship, Jayme says, “Without the assistance I have received from the MSHF scholarship I most likely would not have been able to seek higher level education. Knowing that my student loan debt will be substantially lower, thanks to the MSHF scholarship, helps set my mind at ease and allows me to focus on what is really important: being the best MSW student I can be!”

Interested in learning more about Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship programs? Click here to register for an upcoming virtual MSHF Scholarship Info Session!