First David Geffen Medical Scholarship students at UCLA are graduating

After earning a master ’s degree in education and working as a public-school teacher in New York, Mariel Bailey decided to pursue a medical degree.That concerned her parents in Rhode Island, who were unable to help cover the costs. Bailey had her pick of top medical schools, including UCLA, UC San Francisco, Harvard and Stanford. An all-expenses-paid scholarship from theDavid Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA“essentially made the decision for me,” she said.“The scholarship was a godsend that provided the financial freedom to pursue my dream at an amazing program debt-free and without having to repay years of loans,” Bailey said.On June 2, Bailey will take the Hippocratic Oath with 177 other graduating medical students. Nine of them, including Bailey, are the first to complete their studies as recipients of the David Geffen Medical Scholarship. The $100 million scholarship program –announced in 2012 and funded by entertainment executive and philanthropist David Geffen – is helping UCLA to recruit some of the nation’s best medical students, lifting the burden of debt and facilitating pursuit of career paths aligned with their passions, including dual-degree programs and scholarly research.So far, 127 students have received a David Geffen Medical Scholarship, which are based entirely on merit. School officials estimate that by 2022, a total of 300 scholarships will have been awarded — a figure equal to about 20 percent of each entering class during the 10-year ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news