Baystate Medical Center Awards $26,400 in Scholarships to 26 Springfield Students

SPRINGFIELD — Twenty-six college students have been awarded a total of $26,400 in scholarships from the Baystate Springfield Educational Partnership (BSEP) to continue their pursuits to work in healthcare.

All of the awardees, who received their checks during a scholarship awards ceremony at Baystate Medical Center on Aug. 15, are residents of Springfield and former BSEP participants.

For many of the students in BSEP, the financial barrier of obtaining higher education poses a significant challenge. BSEP works to support students with overcoming this challenge by providing scholarship funds to assist with paying for their education. Over the past 10 years, Baystate has awarded nearly $775,000 to students who have completed the BSEP program and are enrolled in a health-related program at a post-secondary institution.

BSEP has over the years provided motivation, determination, and resilience to many of its students. One of the BSEP recipients, Suraji Omoru, a graduate student at Brown University, where he is earning his master of public health and master of science physician assistant degrees, fought through many hurdles to stand where he is today.

“Money or no money, BSEP will always be family for life. I just got off a night shift in the pediatric intensive-care unit at Baystate Children’s Hospital, but what keeps me going is my BSEP experience — staff being the first to tell a lot of us we could do it and showing us it’s possible.”

Daphne Muhammad, a student at Dartmouth College, said the scholarship money would prevent her from experiencing anxiety due to her financial background at an affluent campus. “It will increase my ability to prioritize my academics.”

Anna Lee Thompson, a former Springfield Central High School student and now a sophomore at Smith College majoring in biochemistry with future plans of becoming a medical research physician, added that “BSEP has been instrumental in sparking my interest in healthcare and advancing my career in the sciences.”

Other Springfield students receiving scholarships were Yarilenny Antonio, Victoria Auguste, Mekhi Bowen, Daniel Burgos, Shyan Casey, Machaela Cruz, Michael Denson, Niriani Escalante, Merelyn Galarza, Lanelle Garcia, Samantha Josephs, Laila Kibodya, Syllus Kudane, Jillian Lavender, Carrissa Le, Michelle Lo, Esther Mustapha, Tien Nguyen, Nadia Nowicki, Tionne Peart, Krysta Wondolowski, Delphine Zigwati, and Mohamed Hussein.

Dr. Kevin Hinchey, senior associate dean of Education and Professor of Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School – Baystate and chief Education officer for Baystate Health, hopes BSEP students who go on to study in medical school will consider completing part of their college studies at the new UMass Chan Medical School – Baystate campus.

“In the continuum of learners from high school to medical school, nursing school, or studying to become a physician assistant, for example, there are many hurdles along the way,” he said. “The BSEP program combines with other education programs at Baystate along that continuum, such as our medical-school track with UMass Chan Medical School – Baystate, to provide a supportive, seamless transition for students in our community who have an interest in healthcare.”

The Baystate Springfield Educational Partnership builds relationships with interested and committed students from the city of Springfield and guides their experiences toward careers in healthcare. The BSEP program offers a variety of hospital-based learning experiences that provide opportunities to explore different careers, engage in more comprehensive observation experiences, and prepare for potential internship or employment opportunities. Since its inception, BSEP has reached over 3,000 students, and some 450 BSEP internship and work opportunities have led to more than 300 permanent employment opportunities for BSEP alumni.