Winners of APHA’s 2010 Get Ready Scholarship announced

Six students have been chosen as the recipients of APHA’s second annual Get Ready Scholarship.

The scholarship, which is awarded in conjunction with APHA’s Get Ready campaign, encourages high school, undergraduate and graduate college students to recognize emergency preparedness as a public health issue.

The six winners are:
• Leah Wight— Golden Valley High School, Merced, Calif. (high school level)
• Courtney Farr — Robert L. Patton High School, Morganton, N.C. (high school level)
• Brittany Voorhees — Holy Names University, Oakland, Calif. (undergraduate level)
• Delaney Moore — Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Ind. (undergraduate level)
• Tazeen Dhanani — George Mason University, Fairfax, Va. (graduate level)
• Kristen Paz — Pepperdine University, Malibu, Calif. (graduate level)

This year’s scholarship recipients were chosen from 900 applicants from across the nation. They will receive a $500 scholarship for school-related costs as well as a one-year APHA membership. Winners were determined through an essay contest on the importance of emergency preparedness and infectious disease prevention.

"APHA firmly believes in encouraging today’s youth to become tomorrow’s public health leaders," said Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, FACEP (E), APHA’s executive director. "We are pleased to be able to award these talented, young students with financial assistance to help further their education."

Excerpts from the winning entries can be viewed online now.

Congratulations to our scholarship winners and our thanks to everyone who submitted an essay!