Wellington Regional Medical Center recently hosted the Friends of Wellington Regional Medical Center Volunteer Auxiliary and several local families as the auxiliary awarded $10,000 in scholarships to five local students. Hospital administrators, physicians, nurses and staff joined the awards ceremony to honor the students.
The scholarships are awarded to graduating high school seniors pursuing careers in healthcare and medically related fields. Applicants are judged on academic competency, extracurricular activities, community service, financial need and acceptance by an accredited college or university.
This year’s recipients, each receiving $2,000, are: Victoria Estevez from Forest Hill High School, Annelise Exilus from Lake Worth High School, Austin Lent from Suncoast High School, James Matz from Seminole Ridge High School, and Dezary Perez from Lake Worth High School.
“We are thrilled to recognize and invest in these promising students with an interest in a career in healthcare,” WRMC CEO Robbin Lee said. “They have each demonstrated that they go above and beyond through their volunteer work, grade point averages and extracurricular activities, which are traits we look for when people join our WRMC team. We look forward to the possibility that these scholarship recipients will return to our area as healthcare professionals and help to provide exceptional care and services for our patients.”
The Friends of Wellington Regional Medical Center Volunteer Auxiliary is a nonprofit volunteer organization with more than 75 members. The scholarships are funded through year-round auxiliary fundraisers and gift shop sales, as well as through the generosity of the hospital’s medical staff.
Annelise Exilus graduated from Lake Worth High School and ranked in the top 10 of her class. She has more than 760 community service hours and was a member of the Key Club, Medical Honor Society, Yearbook Club and Be the Change Club. She is active in tennis, track and field, and her church. She will be attending the University of Central Florida and hopes to continue her education to become a sports medicine physician.
Victoria Estevez graduated from Forest Hill High School and is in the top five percent of her class. She volunteered more than 600 hours at local hospitals, pharmacies and animal shelters. She was the president of the Health Occupation Students of America club and president and vice president of the Students Against Melanoma. She was also an ambassador of the National Honor Society, captain of the varsity tennis team and played varsity volleyball. She will attend the University of South Florida and will study biomedical science. She hopes to attend the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami to study to become a trauma surgeon.
Austin Lent graduated from Suncoast High School with a 5.21 GPA. He received the Pathfinder Award for Communication and was a National Merit Award finalist. He was in the National Honor Society, Jewish Student Union and volunteered at Big Dog Ranch Rescue. He will be attending the University of Miami and hopes to become a physician.
James Matz graduated from Seminole Ridge High School in the top 10 percent in his class. He was a member of the varsity debate team, varsity swim team and a volunteer at his church. He volunteers in the summer at WRMC in the ER and has many computer networking and security certifications. He will attend Florida Atlantic University and wants to study to be a nurse.
Dezary Perez graduated from Lake Worth High School second in her class. She has more than 100 community service hours and was in the Key Club and the Medical Honor Society. She is an elementary school mentor and has multiple certifications. She completed her associate’s degree prior to graduating from high school and will continue her studies at the University of Florida with the goal of becoming a dermatologist.
