Colleagues, Collaborators, and our Central Texas Community,
To improve the health of Central Texans far into the future, St. David’s Foundation is committed to looking at the whole health system. At the heart of that system is people. Clinicians, pharmacists, surgeons, dentists, physical therapists, nurses, physicians–all health workers who invest time and effort in their communities. In turn, we invest in them, too.
To help support the health workforce of Central Texas, this year St. David’s Foundation has awarded 41 scholarships to students who are now beginning their paths toward healthcare careers—scholarships that are awarded on the basis of both merit and need.
The St. David’s Neal Kocurek Scholarship Fund is one of the largest scholarship programs in Texas, providing students from Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties with financial, personal, and professional support throughout their higher education journeys. This wraparound support is especially important as we are proud to announce that half of the 2022 scholar cohort are the first in their families to attend college.
Created in honor of the Foundation’s late President and CEO, W. Neal Kocurek, Ph.D., this scholarship program carries on his vision for a more equitable Central Texas. Since the scholarship’s inception in 2005, over 660 students have received scholarships to study medicine, nursing, physical therapy, biomedical engineering, and other health-related disciplines. The applications for the 2023 scholarship will open in early November (learn more about this opportunity here).
These scholarships would not be possible without the generous supporters of Toast of the Town, a series of distinctive events hosted in private homes and venues throughout Central Texas each spring. All the proceeds raised by these events go toward the scholarships, and that amount is matched by the Foundation.
Each year, one scholar is selected to receive our Alfred A. King Chairman’s Award, an honor given to a student who the scholarship committee believed exemplifies the highest level of educational values, community awareness, and civic stewardship. The 2022 recipient of the Alfred A. King Chairman’s Award is Caleb Williams, a graduate of San Marcos High School who is now in his first year at The University of Texas at Austin.
Caleb is majoring in psychology and looks forward to a career where he can have a meaningful impact. “With my desire to help people, I think being in a health care profession is the most important way to get involved,” he said. “People are needed because of the overwhelming cry for help of those struggling with different mental health issues.”
Caleb is just one of our many inspiring scholars, all of whom bring unique personal circumstances and dreams to our program. These new recipients now enter a distinguished community of peers who will encourage and inspire each other as they progress through their college education and beyond. We are extremely proud of all of our 2022 Kocurek Scholars and look forward to cheering on their future success. Please join me in congratulating these exceptional students.
2022 Class of Neal Kocurek Scholars
Ahmed Alnoman
Austin HS
Danielle Altom
East View HS
Alexandra Alvarado
Manor HS
Jillian Anderson
Stony Point HS
Tomer Britva
Vandegrift HS
Isabelle Brown
Westwood HS
Lizbeth Campos
Johnson HS
Florence Ekpenyong
Pflugerville HS
Giselle Flores
Lehman HS
Amarree Fox
Manor HS
Kylie Frensley
Johnson HS
Sriyuktha Ghanta
Round Rock HS
Kenadie Gordon
Stony Point HS
Mackenzie Hantelman
Round Rock HS
Emma Hargraves
San Marcos HS
Yanet Hernandez
Pflugerville HS
Gaia Hilliard
Garza Independence HS
Annie Kim
Westwood HS
Christina Ko
McNeil HS
Jahnelle Rae Mata
Vista Ridge HS
Sanjeev Medam
Round Rock HS
Daniela Mora
Cedar Creek HS
Alaiysha Murphy
Crockett HS
Khien Nguyen
Stony Point HS
Andre Pham
Round Rock HS
Hamzah Rasool
Liberal Arts & Science Academy
Samantha Richey
East View HS
Alexa Salgado
KIPP Austin Brave High School
Jasmin Sanchez Morales
Cedar Ridge HS
Kadence Scott
Westlake HS
Julie Thi
Connally HS
Angelina Torres
Bastrop HS
Annie Tran
Anderson HS
Yessica Ulloa-Penaloza
Juan Navarro HS
Sarah Varughese
Rouse HS
Devanshi Verma
Westwood HS
Mayan Watson
Johnson HS
RyalJames Weldon-Carroll
Austin HS
Kathryn Wheeler
Hays HS
Caleb Williams
San Marcos HS
Justin Xia
Liberal Arts & Science Academy
Looking forward,
Edward Burger
President and CEO, St. David’s Foundation