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Melaninwhitecoats Podcast Annual Scholarship

Funded by
user profile avatar
Aldwin Soumare
$1,545
1 winner$1,545
Awarded
Next Application Deadline
Jun 26, 2022
Next Winners Announced
Jul 25, 2022
Education Level
Any
7
Contributions
Eligibility Requirements
Year in HS (if applicable):
Senior (2022)
Year in College (if applicable):
Junior or Senior (2023 or 2022)

In professional healthcare spaces across the country, there’s a lack of diverse representation from people of underrepresented backgrounds. To combat the world’s toughest public health issues, we need all voices from all backgrounds to be represented in these professional spaces toward a common goal of health.

This problem in underrepresentation is also a quality of care issue as doctors are more likely to evaluate Black patients’ pain as less than that of white patients with the same symptoms. Numerous studies show that patients of color feel less safe with doctors than White patients, and also see improved health outcomes when they see Black doctors.

Medical professionals dedicate their lives to public service and providing for local communities through their practice, but many prospective professionals in medicine don’t have the opportunity to graduate with a degree debt-free, especially those from underserved communities. 

To support the dreams of prospective underrepresented medical professionals and to bolster public health, the Melaninwhitecoats Podcast Annual Scholarship exists. This scholarship is open to high school seniors, undergraduate juniors and seniors, and students currently in graduate school who intend to have a career as an MD, DO, Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, or Occupational Therapy career.

Selection Criteria:
Essay, Courageous, Ambition
Published December 25, 2021
Essay Topic

1. Why have you chosen your specific professional healthcare field of interest?

2. How will you commit yourself to diversity within your respective choice of profession? 

3. What are your financial needs, and how will you use this scholarship to support your future endeavors?

4. What goals do you aspire to accomplish within the next 10 years?

400–600 words

Winning Application

Adrienne Lahr
Washington State UniversityFederal Way, WA
   Animals have always been something I am passionate about. I have chosen to become a veterinarian because my love for animals outgrows my fears of failing to save them, or failing to not be able to make it to veterinarian school. I strive to become a veterinarian because I want to be able to help people and their animals. Two years ago, I owned a pet hamster. My hamster got sick, and I was devastated because no clinics around me were able to treat hamsters. The nearest one was 30 minutes away, and my mom did not want to drive that far. I want to become a veterinarian because I want to be able to help people keep their animals in their lives for a long as possible. I strive for people to be able to rely on me in the future to save their animals. Furthermore, I want to be a vet who helps no matter what time of day it is and no matter what type of animal it is.      I desire to become a veterinarian who not only focuses on one type of animals, one who has expertise and diversity in treating multiple types of animals. I want to be able to treat cats and dogs, rodents, birds, and reptiles. I want people to be able to have faith in me that I can take care of their pets, who are basically their family members but with more hair on their bodies. Not only do I want to have diversity with animals, but I want to have diversity with the clients and my staff. Being a black woman wanting to become a veterinarian, it is challenging because the medical field does not have a lot of black people in it because it is mainly dominated by white people. I want to be able to create an environment where my staff and clients can relate to me and trust me because I understand what they are feeling. I want to challenge the social and economical standards and I want to make a pay that I deserve, not a pay that someone else thinks I deserve just because of my skin color.      Realistically speaking, I wish I did not have to find ways to pay for college. I have been applying to many scholarships. I did my FAFSA, and I plan on taking on student loans and grants if I do not earn enough money through scholarships. I am aware that my family is not willing to help me pay for college because they have other expenses to worry about. Throughout my life, my mom has kept telling me to not peruse a career that will take years of going to school because of how expensive it will be. I plan to use this scholarship to help me accomplish that dream.    In 10 years, I aspire to be able to graduate University with a bachelors degree, and then apply to Veterinary school to obtain my D.V.M. I will start off helping at animal hospitals and clinics throughout my years of school, and a few years after I graduate medical school before I plan on opening my own clinic. I will have a lot of things to learn in 10 years, and even more after that. I aspire to become a role model for black children and other minorities who struggle getting the encouragement and recognition they deserve for succeeding and trying to succeed in a white dominated field of study. I want them to be able to know that they are strong, and they can accomplish great things.  

FAQ

When is the scholarship application deadline?

The application deadline is Jun 26, 2022. Winners will be announced on Jul 25, 2022.