Phoenixville: The Greater Phoenixville Healthcare Scholarship Program, funded by the Phoenixville Community Health Foundation in partnership with the Phoenixville Hospital and the Phoenixville Hospital Medical Staff, has been providing college scholarships since 1995. Since the beginning, 120 scholarships have been awarded to high school graduates pursuing health-related careers. All scholarships are $8,000 payable over four years.
The program draws from Phoenixville region school districts that include Great Valley, Methacton, Owen J. Roberts, Perkiomen Valley, Phoenixville, Pottsgrove and Spring-Ford School Districts as well as the Technical College High School-Pickering Campus, and Pope John Paul VI. This year, 10 students applied for the scholarships representing Pope John Paul II, Great Valley, Phoenixville, and Spring-Ford High Schools. All graduating seniors who were pursuing careers in health-related fields of study were eligible to apply.
Ava Benasutti, of Pottstown, will graduate from Pope John Paul II High School and will be attending Alvernia University majoring in Nursing. “It is my intention to be a nurse so that I can work closely with children who have food allergies. As a baby I was diagnosed with severe food allergies. The nurses always made me feel at ease and were the reason I was okay going back again and again for doctor visits and testing.”
Alexis Bloedel, of Newtown Square, will graduate from Great Valley High School and will be attending the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Biology/PreMed. “I understand the turmoil and uncertainty that goes along with injury and sickness. I am eager to build upon this perspective and have discovered an incredible draw towards the field of medicine. I feel fortunate to have found my calling and want to help change lives as a physician.”
Patrick Power, of Phoenixville, will graduate from Spring-Ford High School and will be attending Villanova University majoring in Chemical Engineering. “Chemical Engineering is a discipline that you may not think of as a healthcare related field, however I plan to pursue a biochemical minor with the possibility of going on to medical school. Whether it be finding blood substitutes, or genetically engineered T-cells for cancer treatments, I see boundless possibilities connected to becoming a chemical engineer and the way I can positively impact healthcare.”
Jenna Tomarelli, of Limerick, will graduate from Spring-Ford High School and will be attending Eastern University majoring in Nursing. “I have learned that a healthcare career is much more than simply understanding how the body works. From shadowing nurses at Phoenixville Hospital, I have seen the impact a nurse’s attitude has on a patient. Nursing provides this challenge and I am beyond excited to pursue this career.”
Lynn Pike Hartman, Vice President for Programs with the Phoenixville Community Health Foundation, facilitates the Scholarship Selection activities. The Selection Committee is comprised of representatives from the Phoenixville Community Health Foundation’s Board of Directors: Charles Benz, John Colarusso, and Anita Guzman. For more information on these scholarships, please visit the Foundation’s website at www.pchf1.org.
The mission of the Phoenixville Community Health Foundation is to improve the health and quality of life for people in the greater Phoenixville region by increasing access to quality healthcare services and promoting healthy communities through grantmaking and collaborations with health, civic, business and community partners.
