MORE THAN $1.7 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

Wasilla, Alaska – For the third year in a row, the Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) has dramatically increased the amount it has awarded in academic scholarships. This year, 335 Mat-Su residents will share in a total of $1,711,182 to pursue higher education in the fields of health and human services, and nonprofit management.

“A key strategy in achieving our mission for Mat-Su to become the healthiest borough in the nation is to ensure everyone in our community has access to healthcare,” said MSHF Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Ripley. “Helping our residents pursue the education and training necessary to provide that care helps ensure there is adequate workforce to meet the healthcare needs of a fast-growing community.”

The MSHF offers scholarships in two categories: academic scholarships for students pursuing college degrees with health and human services majors, and vocational scholarships to assist students with the cost of training and certifications for jobs in health and human services fields. Scholarships are awarded based on how well each applicant meets the foundation’s eligibility criteria, including financial need and career choice. This year, the impact of COVID-19 on applicants’ educational journeys and goals was also taken into consideration.

The Mat-Su Health Foundation’s 2020 academic scholarship recipients are listed below, starting with the six Mat-Su Scholars Awards and followed by all other students who received awards:

    • The Annie Demming Scholarship for a current high school student: Kira Fagerstrom
    • The Vivian “Babe” Shaver Scholarship for a behavioral health major: Rebekah Bailey
    • The Ya Ne Dah Ah /K’tl’egh’i Sukdu Scholarship for a graduate-level applicant: Esther Miller
    • The Jessica Stevens Scholarship for a physician assistant major: Kaienne Martin
    • The Darlene Reed Scholarship for a nursing major: Angela Goss
    • The George V. Larson, III Scholarship for a hospital administration or nonprofit management major: Steven Duncan
David Adams
Janelle Alder
Linda Allen
Crystal Allen
Jamie Allison
Corey Ambrose
Jennifer Anderson
Marti Anliker
Sabrina Apau
Erika Arthur
Joseph Arvizu
Kayla Austin
Danielle Barnes
Madison Beaty
Ryan Benedict
Olga Berezyuk
Susann Bergstrom
Tami Bethel
Elsa Biddle
Hannalora Bolduc
Ekaterina Bondarenko
Leah Bonn
Kara Boothby
Karen Boyer
Stephanie Boyle
Cheyenne Breshears
Lathen Breshears
Paula Brown
Isabella Brown
Heather Buchanan
Thomas Buckley
Elizabeth Burnside
Marrisa Butikofer
Darian Cabales
Alexander Cadieux
Sydney Carle
Feona Carney
Amelia Carney
Bryson Carrillo
Amanda Carver
Nicole Catlett
Grace Champion
Bret Chisholm
Jürgen Christiansen
Friedrich Christiansen
Arora Clay
Elizabeth Commissaris
Amity Condie
Sarah Conkey
Desiree Cook
Sabrina Coombs
Victoria Copple
Karen Cordero
Kiela Cott
Abigail Crawford
Julia Crossett
Alyssa Cruz
Amber Curry
Alla Damyan
Breanna Davidson
Camille Dayton
Sean Deal
Sarah Deardorff
Alyna Deishl
Kristina Dennis
Mary DePew
Jessica Depweg
Heather DeVilbiss
Sara Diltz
Kilian Dishneau
Martha Dixon
Shayla Donley
Mary Doyle
Caitlynn Duncombe
Kaitlyn Dykman
Mycah Eaton
Grace Eldridge
Kimberly Elliott
Millie Ellsworth
Jena Enderson-Roop
Lindsey Endes
Brett Ewing
Emily Fagnant
Trey Farber
Rhodora Ferris
Vincent Feuilles
Ema Fiedler
Jennifer Fields
Crystal Fierro
Corbin Flaming
Jewel Fleckenstein
Shannon Frati
Pamela Freeman
Mary Geist
Andrew George
Suzanne Gerhardt
Katherine Germain
Samantha Gibson
Bobbi Goodwin
Lyubov Gorban
Madeline Goss
Hannah Grawey
Tessa Gray
Jeremy Grice
Kristen Gumley
Drake Halfacre
Amanda Hansen
Jared Hanson
Cheylynn Hardy
Celeste Harrell
Gabrielle Harris
Chloe Hartman
Hayden Hartman
Curtis Harvie
Sarah Haskin
Garic Hayes
Natalia Heath
Michelle Heieren
Joshua Hejl
Ben Henderson
Sierra Hernandez
Stefanie Herrick
Kendra Hoffman
Breanna Holben
Mary Holbrook
Megan Hoover
Myah Hoover
Claire Hotchkiss
Genya Howe
Tracia Howell-West
Michealla Huckleberry
Jenna Humphrys
Sarah Hunt
Nikki Hunter
Savannah Hurt
Joni Isaacs
Faith Itta
Heidi Jerrils
Deborah Johnston
Jessica Jones
Gianna Josten
Michael Jurasek
Anthony Jurasek
Casey Kahn
Julia Kahumoku
Shawntiana Kaylor
Jaime Keena
Libieann Keller
Tiffany Kelley
Marisa Kelly
Jennifer Kelsey
Paige Kessler
Aryanna Killebrew
Christopher Kircher
Sierra Kistler
Justin Knight
Kirsten Knight
Kenneth Koch
Elisabeth Kolb
Brooklyn Kopsack
Nathan Kristich
Ethan Kuzina
Don Lambert
Nathan Lashlee
Jared Layton
Madelyn Leingang
Tiffany Michelle Leonard
Miriam Leonard
Claudia Lindner
Stephanie Little
Keely Livingston
Lauren Luchsinger
Gregory Lytle
Vanessa Madruga
Sarah Maffe
Helen Maidenrath
Amey Malone
Angelo Mangione
Taylor Marple
Angel Martin
Amanda Martinez
Rachel Martinez
Ruby Matthews
Alexis Mattson
Cameron Mayberry
Brandi Mayo
Carrie McClure
Moriah McKittrick
Mya Meehl
Autumn Merrill
Jasper Michener
Alyssa Miles
Melissa Miller
Margaret Miller
Shannon Minder
Ryan Moat
Desiree Molina
Noel Moritz
Sophie Morse
Gabriel Mucha
Shaylee Muder
Taylor Nelson
Hayden Niekamp
Joseph Oliver
Laurelei Olson
Sara Oomittuk
Lydia Ortiz
Rebecca Osterkamp
Narda Oteo
Samuel Ouellette
Emily Ouellette
Allene Mae Pangilinan
Charlene Parks
Anika Pasa
Tyler Pasa
Rio-Morgan Patrimonio-Raval
Susan Paul
Patricia Payne
Anna Peters
Grace Piersma
Kyleigh Pollock
Sydney Poorbaugh
Elise Porterfield
Alexia Portney
Ginger Price
Millea Punturo
Casey Rahn
Alexander Rakhmanov
Sophia Ramage
Lynette Ramos
Aiko Ranchoff
Christopher Rathbun
Ryan Ray
Tyler Ray
Buffie Reamer
Holly Regallo
Terri Reynolds-Rogers
Noah Richards
Isaac Richardson
Tracy Richardson
Nai’a Rigdon
Jeff Ripple
Anne Ritala
Turkan Rollins
Julia Safarik
Kylee Sanderson
Jean Sargent
Nathaniel Savel
Tetiana Sazhnieva
Brayden Schachle
Dory Schneider
Kiana Schorr
Ashley Schroeder
Lily Sessom
Eva Severance
Sophie Severance
Zebediah Sheldon
Helen Sheldon
Hayden Shults
NaDene Silva
Savanna Simmerman
Jake Simmons
Whitney Simpson
Marcus Sinchuk
Leyla Sinyawski
Kari Slick
Katelyn Smith
Sierra Smith
Abigail Smith
Tanya Smith
Sonya Smith
Claire Smith
Bonnie Snyder
Hope Spargo
Jayme Spires Moudy-Ferrier
Hilary Stark
Alexa Starr
Colton Stenger
Codi Stephenson
Rebecca Stiner
Kourtney Straight
Rilee Sullivan
Hunter Sullivan
Delta Summitt
Jenna Sutton
Summer Sweet
Tasha Tapey
Yolanda Thomas
Elijah Titus
Nadezhda Tolmacheva
Hannah Tooke
Rosemary Toro
Susan Townsend
Taylor Tracy
Melanie Trost
Ethan Trouy
Savanna Van Diest
William Vaughan
Eva Venema
Kiana Verplancke
Rebecca Vickrey
Kasey Vieu
Jennifer Vinette
Marilyn Vink
Caleb Wagle
Adam Ward
Jake Waterhouse
Natalie Waterhouse
Kimberlee Wear
Megan Webb
Marshall Webb
Steven Webb
Naomi Weetman
Amber Wellner
Christina Wells
Nigel West
Heidi Wheeler
April Whitmire-Polis
Kristal Whitted
Heather Whorton
Angela Wilkins
Teyonnah Williams
Clara Willison
Misty Wilmarth-Agoff
Victoria Winn
Jacob Worden
Kenyon Wright
McKenna Young
Jocelyn Zweifel

 

Applications for MSHF academic scholarships will be accepted again beginning in January 2021, but vocational scholarships are accepted year-round. More information can be found at healthymatsu.org.

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Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) is the official business name of Valley Hospital Association, Inc., which shares ownership in Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. In this capacity, MSHF board members and representatives actively participate in the governance of Mat-Su’s community hospital to protect the community’s interest in this important healthcare institution. The MSHF mission is to improve the health and wellness of Alaskans living in the Mat-Su and the tools it uses include grantmaking, convening of local partners, and policy change. The foundation’s work has resulted in significant improvements in systems that support the health of Mat-Su residents in areas such as behavioral health, child welfare, crisis response, community connections, workforce development, transportation, housing, and senior services.  More information is available at healthymatsu.org .

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