By Margo Greenman
It’s that time of year again. The college crunch is on and high school seniors are busily turning in their college applications and applying for scholarships.
While there are countless scholarships available for students gearing up for the next phase of their academic careers, for high school seniors bound for Grays Harbor College with an interest in the medical field, there is one scholarship that’s especially unique. It’s the Grays Harbor Community Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship, a scholarship designed specifically with students interested in medical fields. However, in order for a student to be considered for the Grays Harbor Community Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship, applicants must first log 50 volunteer hours at Grays Harbor Community Hospital prior to applying for the award.
Grays Harbor College Foundation’s Executive Director, Jan Jorgenson, says this rigorous and unique requirement is good for students because it provides them with firsthand experience working in a hospital. It’s also beneficial for the foundation when choosing an award recipient as it sets apart those who may simply be interested in the medical field from those who have already put in serious hours.
“We see it is as a tremendous win-win for us,” says Jorgenson. Choosing the right candidate for a scholarship can be challenging. By making the volunteering component a requirement for Grays Harbor Community Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship eligibility, Jorgenson says it helps the foundation know which students are serious about the medical field.
And it’s competitive, too. Jorgenson says each year many students apply for the Grays Harbor Community Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship. Grays Harbor College then checks with the hospital to see which students have successfully logged 50 hours. Once the hospital confirms the names of the students who have completed their hours, the number of eligible applicants drops dramatically. Of the students who successfully meet all the requirements, only two are selected. It’s an honor, privilege and sign of great merit to be selected for the Grays Harbor Community Auxiliary Scholarship, which is why each scholarship is generously valued at $2,000.
But the Grays Harbor Community Auxiliary Scholarship isn’t the only award the Grays Harbor College Foundation offers that requires special requirements. Because of this, Jorgenson and Grays Harbor College’s Director of Admissions and Outreach, Eric Potts, visit local junior highs and high schools each year to inform and educate students early on about scholarships offered through the foundation. Included in this education is information about Grays Harbor College Foundation’s World Class Scholar program, a program designed to help “form a partnership between students, parents, and Grays Harbor College. This partnership brings the promise of a college education to families throughout Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties.”
While not all Grays Harbor College Foundation scholarship recipients are World Class Scholars, those who successfully fulfill the World Class Scholar requirements prior to graduation are guaranteed entrance to Grays Harbor College and a $1,500 scholarship.
Grays Harbor College Foundation offers a wide selection of scholarships for students to apply for, and there’s no better time to apply than now. The deadline for scholarship applications is Monday, March 9. But don’t worry, applying is easy. “The program does a really good job of sorting awards for students,” says Potts. “Rather than a student having to go through and turn in an application for each scholarship they’re interested in, the online application sorts the scholarships for them. If a student is interested in nursing or a career in the medical field, the application will sort the awards that match the student’s interest into their online profile.”
Potts says most of the scholarships require the same standard application, but others, like the Grays Harbor Community Auxiliary Scholarship, sometime require a bit more. You can view a full list of Grays Harbor College Foundation scholarships by visiting Grays Harbor College Foundation’s website.
More information about volunteering opportunities at Grays Harbor Community Hospital (for students and adults alike) can be found by following the link here, visiting Grays Harbor Community Hospital’s website, or by contacting Grays Harbor Community Hospital’s Volunteer Coordinator, Karen Shafer, by calling her at 360-537-5103. Students as young as 16-years-old are eligible to volunteer.
