Frontline Workers Earn Scholarships Through Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic didn’t stop numerous Saddleback Medical Center employees from staying focused on their higher education goals. Seventeen of them were recently awarded scholarships through Saddleback Medical Center Foundation’s 43rd annual Scholarship Program.

Since the program’s inception, the Scholarship Program has awarded more than $1.1 million to employees, thanks to generous donors who have contributed to the Foundation’s scholarship fund.

“Many of these recipients have worked long hours on the frontline caring for patients during this crisis,” said Cecilia Belew, President of Saddleback Medical Center Foundation. “With the demands of family and work always looming, they still manage to find time to study and continue their education.”

To be eligible for a scholarship, applicants must be permanent full- or part-time Saddleback Medical Center employees, with a minimum of one full year of employment. They must be taking courses for credit at an eligible, accredited educational institution, and they must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher. All scholarship recipients completed a detailed application that also required a personal statement and a letter of recommendation.

The Foundation’s Scholarship Committee reviewed applications and determined awardees and amounts. This year they awarded $28,200 to 17 Saddleback Medical Center employees,

Awards are named after the donors who have generously gifted funds for this program, including Laguna Woods resident Jerry Werner, longtime board member Virginia Pillsbury of Lake Forest, Saddleback Kiwanis, retired Saddleback Medical Center nurses, and the late Dr. and Mrs. David Rabinov. The program also utilizes funds from an endowment for the scholarships.

The 2020 scholarship award recipients and their cities of residence are listed below:

Dorothy Colver Award
Taylor Bonney, R.N. (Laguna Niguel)
Emergency Department

Damsker Award
Tam Do, R.N. (Santa Ana)
Performance Improvement

Endowment Award
Crista Bowman, R.N. (San Clemente)
Observation

James Soltis, R.N. (Dana Point)
Heart & Vascular

Claudia Torres, R.N. (Lake Forest)
Medical Oncology

Charistella Walter, R.N. (Mission Viejo)
Intensive Care Unit

Alexandria and Samantha Grimmick Award

Mariel Endey, R.N., (Aliso Viejo)
Medical Oncology

Nurses4Nurses Award

Justin Cioni, R.N. (Huntington Beach)
Emergency Department

Nicole Majowicz, R.N. (Lake Forest)
Neurosciences and Orthopedics

Kathryn Schmidt, R.N. (Laguna Hills)
Neurosciences and Orthopedics

Virginia Pillsbury Award

Eleanor Roch, R.N. (Laguna Niguel)
Acute Medical Services

Rabinov Award

Luke Schademan, R.N. (Laguna Niguel)
Intensive Care Unit

Saddleback Kiwanis Award

Julie Rizco, R.N. (Mission Viejo)
Intensive Care Unit

San Clemente Women’s Guild Award

Sheila Owens, R.N. (Trabuco Canyon)
Labor, Delivery, Recovery & Postpartum

Nancy Ramirez, R.N. (Laguna Niguel)
Care Coordination

Johnnie Vance Award

Cynthia Osier, R.N. (Irvine)
Intensive Care Unit

Jerry Werner Award

Daniel Searls (Mission Viejo)
Telemetry