AHEC scholars celebrate!
On Friday, April 28th, the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) congratulated twenty-seven graduates of the AHEC Scholars Program, a program for distinguished undergraduate students completing a minimum of 80 hours of highly engaging activities and 80 hours of community-based experiential training.
The AHEC Scholar Program is designed as a supplement to existing student coursework for exploration in an interprofessional team-based education for both urban and rural populations in underserved communities. Topics explored are behavioral health, cultural competency, interprofessional education, practice transformation, social determinants of health and current and emerging health issues to enhance access to quality health care in our communities.
During the Completion Ceremony, each scholar received a certificate of completion and a personal letter from the president of the National AHEC Organization.
One scholar from each AHEC Center, Trey Saunders, Jonas St. Fleur, and Kelsey Rising, had the opportunity to share their experiences with the audience. Many spoke about the challenges they faced in their lives and how the program had helped them overcome those obstacles and move toward a brighter future.
Those scholars completing the AHEC Scholars Program are Lauren Ashton (NEOMED College of Pharmacy), Noelle Barry, Logan Burrows, Brooke Campbell, Ashley Chalupka, Ariel Godel (incoming NEOMED student, College of Medicine), Nora Habo (incoming NEOMED student, College of Medicine), Elsa Khan (incoming NEOMED student, College of Medicine) Aaleah Krone, Layali Kusuni, Mackenzie Lewis, Anna Luu (incoming NEOMED student, College of Medicine), Kyla McLaughlin, Avery Probst, Kelsey Rising, Julianna Sandine (incoming NEOMED student, College of Medicine), Gerald (Trey) Saunders, Madison Schrock, Jonas St. Fleur (incoming NEOMED student, College of Medicine), Kyla Cozadd Teeters, Elizabeth Veizis. Those not pictured: Feng Chen, Delaney Early, Layali Hasanain, Velan Manivannan, Anna (Corinne) Niedermier, Madison Schrock, Caitlyn Sweeney
In addition, honor awards were presented to the following students: Jean H. Baird Torch Award: Kelsey Rising and Feng Chen.
AHEC Scholars of the Year: Logan Burrows, Ashley Chalupka, Elsa Khan, Trey Saunders, and Jonas St. Fleur
Overall, the graduation ceremony was a testament to the power of education and community support in helping individuals achieve their goals and improve their lives.
"This program is a shining example of what we can accomplish when we come together to support one another," said Patricia Thornborough, Regional director of Northeast Ohio AHEC. "I'm proud of each and every one of our scholars and wish them all the best as they start a new chapter in their lives."