Scholarships
The Institute for Health & Social Equity, Inc. focuses on addressing health disparities by promoting workforce diversity in nursing, public health, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) professions through scholarships and mentoring.Applicants must be from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds to include: African-American, Hispanic, American Indian, and Alaska native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. Applicants must have a 3.25 GPA or above and a history of community service. Scholarships will be renewed for each student provided the criteria are met and funds are available.
The Alana Cueto Nursing Scholarship
Alana Cueto, MSN, RN, CNL-C is the Past President of The National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Inc. (NAHN), which serves as the voice of over 270,000 Latino nurses throughout the country. For over two decades, Alana has spent her professional career improving the health and wellbeing of vulnerable children and families living in distressed, urban neighborhoods through service, scholarship, and education.
Alana combined purpose and passion as Founding President of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) Garden State Chapter where she led the chapter in an effort to cultivate healthier communities for all residents in the state of New Jersey. During her tenure, the Garden State Chapter received national recognition. She is the recipient of numerous awards at the national and local levels which include: nomination as a Public Health Hero by NJBIZ (2017); March of Dimes Nurse of the Year (2017); National Henrietta Villaescusa Community Service Award (2016); NAHN Ambassador Award (2016); Seton Hall University College of Nursing Elizabeth Ann Seton Young Alumni Award (2015); and the Hispanic Leadership of New Jersey Health Advocate Award (2015), which includes Special Recognition from both the United States Congress and the Joint Legislature of New Jersey.
Alana is currently working towards completing her doctorate degree. She is a Nurse Fellow at the New York Academy of Medicine and a candidate for Fellow at the American College of Healthcare Executives. She received her Bachelor of Science from New York University; Masters of Science in Nursing from Seton Hall University; and her certificate as a Fellow Emerging Leader in Public Health from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
The Alana Cueto Nursing Scholarship Requirements
Awarded to historically underrepresented college-bound high-school students or recent high school graduates who have been accepted into an accredited Nursing program. This scholarship is open nationally to qualified candidates.
Must demonstrate the following
- Cumulative GPA of 3.25 or above through official transcript
- History of Community Service
- Submit a 500 word essay describing solutions you would propose to improve a critical issue in healthcare
- Complete an interview with the selection committee
- Maintenance of a 3.25 GPA or above during college matriculation for continued scholarship funding
The Marion L. Johnson “Hidden Figure” Scholarship for Science, Technology, Engineering & Math
Marion Lee Johnson made history as a Boeing engineer whose data contributed to the first successful manned lunar landing on July 20, 1969. After graduating from Talladega College with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, she began her career in 1967 as an Associate Engineer at The Boeing Company in Huntsville, Alabama. Boeing was a leader in building the Apollo Saturn V rocket. Marion Lee Johnson was assigned to the Launch Systems Branch at Boeing and worked on the NASA project for the Marshall Space Flight Center, under the direction of the legendary Wernher von Braun and Arthur Rudolph. While working on the Boeing/NASA team in 1967, Marion Lee Johnson was responsible for preparing data inputs for simulation of vehicle piece impact trajectories.
Marion received significant commendations in March of 1969 for an incredible perfect score of 20 successful missions in 20 attempts. Boeing also recognized Marion for her dedication, technical competence, and high standards of achievements in contributing to America’s successful First Manned Lunar Landing Mission on July 20, 1969, where Neil Armstrong said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Marion’s name is enshrined in the Apollo/Saturn V Roll of Honor. A copy of this historic roll is in the Library of Congress, as well as the Smithsonian Institution, both in Washington, D.C. The historic achievements of Marion Johnson, and others like her were made famous by the award-winning book and film, Hidden Figures, and underscores the benefits of diversity in STEM.
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The Marion L. Johnson STEM Scholarship Requirements
Awarded to historically underrepresented college-bound high-school students or recent high school graduates who have been accepted into an accredited STEM program. This scholarship is open nationally to qualified candidates.
Must demonstrate the following
- Cumulative GPA of 3.25 or above through official transcript
- History of Community Service
- Submit a 500 word essay describing solutions you would propose to improve a critical issue in STEM
- Complete an interview with the selection committee
- Maintenance of a 3.25 GPA or above during college matriculation for continued scholarship funding
The Gloria Addo-Ayensu Public Service Scholarship
Gloria Addo-Ayensu, MD, MPH is the Director of Health for Fairfax County, VIrginia. In this capacity she provides overall leadership, management, and direction for public health programs in the county, and she serves as the official health advisor to Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors, Health Care Advisory Board, and the Human Services Council. She has more than 15 years of experience leading local, regional, and statewide public health efforts to advance emergency preparedness and health equity.
She is a past Chair of the Virginia State Health Commissioner’s Advisory Council on Health Disparity and Health Equity. Throughout her career, Dr. Addo-Ayensu has promoted community health and resiliency through partnerships and has a long-term record of successfully leveraging community assets to create innovative, practical, and sustainable community-based approaches to complex public health challenges. To improve public health surge capacity during emergencies, she created one of the first and largest local public health volunteer response programs in the United States, the Bioterrorism Medical Action Team, which prepared Fairfax to seamlessly transition to the Medical Reserve Corps program.
In 2008, Dr. Addo-Ayensu established the Northern Virginia Clergy Council for the Prevention of HIV/AIDS and a Public Health Multicultural Advisory Council to build community capacity to better address the health needs of ethnic, minority, and vulnerable populations in Fairfax County. Dr. Addo-Ayensu serves on the Boards of George Mason University College of Health and Human Services and the Institute of Public Health Innovation. She received her medical and public health degrees from Tulane University and her residency training in preventive medicine from the Loma Linda University Medical Center.
The Gloria Addo-Ayensu Public Service Scholarship Requirements
Awarded to historically underrepresented college-bound high-school students or recent high school graduates who have been accepted into an accredited Public Health program. This scholarship is open nationally to qualified candidates.
Must demonstrate the following
- Cumulative GPA of 3.25 or above through official transcript
- History of Community Service
- Submit a 500 word essay describing solutions you would propose to improve a critical issue in Public Health or Public Administration
- Complete an interview with the selection committee
- Maintenance of a 3.25 GPA or above during college matriculation for continued scholarship funding