Scholarship luncheon recognizes donors, students

by Meredith Raine

For as long as Manuel Reyes can remember, he wanted to be a doctor.
“With every day and every challenge, I focus on this goal and the means to achieve it,” said Reyes, a third-year student at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

Reyes, recipient of the Ernst Knobil Scholarship Fund and an Institute of Hispanic Culture scholarship, was among 70 medical students recognized Nov. 6 during the second annual Medical School scholarship luncheon at the Warwick Hotel.

“These scholarships help reduce the tremendous burden of funding my medical education,” Reyes said. “With this help, my dream has come closer to reality.”

Generous donors are helping ease that financial strain so students can achieve their goals.

Stanley G. Schultz, M.D., interim dean of the Medical School, said that on the average, medical school graduates across the United States carry a student loan debt that is close to $90,000.

Scholarships not only help students financially, they also help the Medical School compete more favorably for the best and brightest applicants.
“We are very proud of you,” Dr. Schultz told scholarship recipients during the luncheon. “We look forward to following your careers.”

John C. Ribble, M.D., former dean of the Medical School, and a scholarship donor, thanked donors for supporting medical education. “Your investment is supporting some of the finest medical students in the country,” Dr. Ribble said.

Robert and Marie Dierks are among those who made such an investment. After their son, Stephen, graduated from the Medical School in 1989, they established the Dierks Surgical Scholarship Fund as a way to show their appreciation and gratitude for the stellar medical education he received. He is now a surgeon in the Boston area.

Mrs. Dierks gave words of encouragement to the students. “I know you are struggling. I know you are on a very tight budget,” she said. “I know you are dedicated to the field of medicine. We understand your needs.”

She also encouraged donors to continue their support and help recruit other philanthropists to establish student scholarships. “We do need to be terribly proud of these students and help them in any way we can,” Mrs. Dierks said.

Lisa Schlitzhus, a second-year medical student and one of six recipients of proceeds from the Lucy Massenburg Scholarship Fund, said she greatly appreciates the generosity of others that has allowed her to pursue a career in medicine.

“The idea that someone would freely give to another at this level of education is a demonstration of the compassion that we as physicians strive to show our patients,” Schlitzkus said.

Saul Torres, who received the Leonard Ormsby Scholarship, said, “To me, this scholarship means that someone cares about what I am doing here, and that someone thought I should be here. It is really reassuring, especially in times of doubt, like before block exams.”