UNCF Scholarship Builds Pipeline of Black Healthcare Professionals 

The UNCF Healthcare Workforce Diversity Program is a comprehensive historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) healthcare professionals’ pipeline. The program, made possible by partner AbbVie, a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, prepares and motivates Black individuals to pursue a wide variety of careers in healthcare, addresses racial imbalances in the workforce that can exacerbate health disparities and improves the quality of healthcare for vulnerable people.

J.G., a student at Wor-Wic Community College in Salisbury, MD who is currently working to receive an RN certification, was selected to participate in the program. “I wanted to understand medical terminology in an effort to assist me with the foundations of medical terms on my journey to becoming a nurse,” J.G. explained. “I was so happy and ecstatic to find a program that would assist me with this.”

The scholarship helped to alleviate the financial stress of attending college.

“It is a wonderful comfort to have the UNCF available to assist me,” J.G. shared. “Financial aid is one of the biggest obstacles that my wife and I will need to hurdle as we move forward in our schooling. The scholarship I received gave me a sense of accomplishment and reassurance that I would be able to pay for the class.”

The UNCF Healthcare Workforce Diversity Program enabled J.G. to work towards obtaining a certified nursing assistant (CNA) certification. “I’m still working towards my goal of becoming a registered nurse (RN),” J.G. said.

After graduation, J.G. plans to gain experience as a nurse and “hopefully find a decent fit for myself and knowledge base.”

J.G.’s most memorable experience at Wor-Wic “has been the help I have received from the professors and the math lab. Texting my professor questions helped me continue to learn and showed initiative on my part.”

J.G. is researching additional scholarships as their educational journey continues. “I had no idea that there were options like this that were at my disposal,” J.G. said. “It’s nice to know that there are agencies that can assist me respectively on my RN journey.”

J.G. speaks to the incredible impact that donors have on students. “I would like to thank anyone who has donated their hard-earned money to the UNCF to be used in the field of medicine,” J.G. said. “I’m sure it can be a thankless venture. However, please know that we need and appreciate your donations. Many of us would not be able to continue in our studies without your generous help. Please continue to think about your impact going forward.”

UNCF is proud of our students and alumni who have received scholarships that help them continue their education and graduate. These scholarships are invaluable to students, and UNCF is accepting donations to support students like J.G. in their academic endeavors.