Obici Healthcare Foundation Career Pathways Scholarship
Purpose
The purpose of the Obici Healthcare Foundation Career Pathways Scholarship is to support local students who plan to pursue a career in healthcare in Western Tidewater. The scholarship funds will be sent directly to the attending university or college for the sole purpose of paying college expenses. The current estimated value of the scholarship is $10,000 per year. This is an annual scholarship, conditionally renewable for up to three additional years of undergraduate study; recipients of the undergraduate scholarship are invited to apply for additional scholarship funding for up to four years of post-graduate study (see details below).
(Note: The Obici Healthcare Foundation Career Pathways Scholarship also funds ten $2,000 scholarships awarded through Paul D. Camp Community College. Please contact the PDCCC Financial Aid office (757-569-6711 or financialaid@pdc.edu) if interested in applying for a $2,000 scholarship.)
Scholarship Applicants
Each scholarship applicant must, at the time of the initial award:
- Be a current resident (or a dependent of a current resident) of Suffolk, Franklin, Isle of Wight County, Southampton County, Sussex County, Surry County, or Gates County, NC.
- Be a graduating high school senior, or a home-schooled student.
- Plan to enroll full-time at an accredited college or university in the fall to pursue a healthcare-related field of study. Eligible fields of study may include medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacology, emergency medical services, nutrition, public health, radiology, and phlebotomy. Additional healthcare professions and fields of study may also be approved.
- Be committed to practicing healthcare in Western Tidewater upon the completion of your education.
Recipients of the Obici Healthcare Foundation Career Pathways Scholarship are eligible to renew the scholarship for up to three additional years of undergraduate study, so long as the student:
- Remains full-time, as defined by the college/university that the student attends.
- Submits a renewal application including a transcript by the published deadline, demonstrating full-time enrollment, continued commitment to practicing healthcare in the Western Tidewater, and a GPA of 2.7 or better.
- Continues to have a declared major in a healthcare related field of study.
Recipients of the undergraduate scholarship are also invited to apply for additional scholarship funding for up to four years of post-graduate study, which could include medical or other graduate school. Post-graduate funding will be based on the student’s academic performance as an undergraduate, his/her intended field of study as a graduate student, and his/her commitment to return to Suffolk and/or Western Tidewater to practice healthcare upon the completion of his/her education.
Award Criteria
The Award Committee shall consider and make its recommendation based on the following criteria:
- The student’s record of community service,
- The student’s commitment to a career path in the healthcare professions, and
- The student’s commitment to stay in (or return to) Western Tidewater to practice healthcare.
Awardees
2024: Kate Holland, Isle of Wight Academy
Jacy Keith, Gates County Senior High School
Taylor Grace Legg, Gates County Senior High School
Application, Deadline, and Submission Instructions
The Obici Healthcare Foundation Career Pathways Scholarship utilizes the Suffolk Foundation’s common scholarship application form, which opens online on February 3, 2025. The application must be submitted online before the deadline of 5:00 pm, March 21, 2025. For more information, contact the Foundation staff at office@suffolkfoundation.