Clarion Hospital Foundation Awards Annual Scholarships

CLARION, PA, JUNE 22, 2023…The Clarion Hospital Foundation, a charitable arm of Independence Health System, recently awarded $1,000 scholarships to 11 area high school and college students pursuing careers in the healthcare field. To be considered for scholarship assistance, nominees must meet specific criteria with the intent to pursue a career in the medical profession. To learn more about eligibility requirements, visit www.independence.health.

Lauren Troutman was awarded the James B. Alexander Memorial Scholarship.
Lauren is a 2020 Clarion Area High School graduate pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Penn West Clarion. While at Clarion Area High School, Lauren was a team captain and MVP of the girl’s soccer team. As a college student at Penn West Clarion, Lauren has achieved and maintained dean’s list status for multiple semesters. She is looking forward to graduating and joining the nursing field, where she can dedicate her life to helping others.

Allison Acey was awarded the Dr. John L. Johnston Memorial Scholarship.
Allison is a 2023 Clarion Area High School graduate and will attend Gannon University in the fall with plans to pursue medical school upon completion. While attending Clarion
Area High School, she was awarded class valedictorian and served as president of the Student Council and Youth Council. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and girl’s soccer team. Allison participated in church youth group, Bible school, blood drives, and the community backpack food ministry.

Mia Gourley was awarded the Fran Shope Memorial Scholarship.
Mia is a 2022 Redbank Valley High School graduate enrolled in the Bachelor of Science Nursing program at Penn West Clarion. While at Redbank, Mia was president of the National Honors Society and Youth Council. She was also the editor of the yearbook and soccer team captain. As a college student at Penn West Clarion, Mia achieved the dean’s list in both semesters and is a member of the BSN Club and Brothers and Sisters in Christ. She also served as a nursing representative for her freshman class.

Alma Swartzentruber was awarded the Fran Shope Memorial Scholarship.
Alma is a 2023 Keystone Jr/Sr High School graduate enrolled in the Medical Imaging Sciences Program at Penn West Clarion for the fall semester. While at Keystone, Alma was president of the Archery Club and a member of the National Honor Society. She was also recently awarded senior class salutatorian.

Kendall Dunn was awarded the Joseph and Helen Miller Scholarship.
Kendall is a 2023 graduate of Clarion-Limestone High School and will attend Pitt Bradford in the fall, where she will pursue a degree in physical therapy and participate in volleyball. While attending C-L, she served as the senior class president, National Honor Society co-president, Student Council treasurer, and junior class secretary. Kendall earned District 9 first team honors in volleyball and participated in several other sports during high school.

Grace Kindel was awarded the Joseph and Helen Miller Memorial Scholarship.
Grace is a 2023 graduate of Union High School and will be attending Penn West Clarion to pursue a degree in nursing. While at Union High School she was the secretary of the National Honor Society, Student Council president, and senior class vice president.
Grace also participated in marching and concert bands and was a member of the volleyball, basketball, and track teams. In addition, she served as vice president of the sports club and prom committee.

Jocalyn Henry was awarded the John E. Brooks Memorial Scholarship.
Jocalyn is a 2023 Clarion-Limestone High School graduate and will attend Chatham University to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy. While attending C-L, she was the president and secretary of the Student Council and co-president of the National Honor Society. She participated in varsity soccer and competitive swimming.

Gwyneth Wadding was awarded the Stroup Family Nursing ASN Scholarship.
Gwyneth is a 2023 graduate of Redbank Valley High School and the Clarion County Career Center. She will be attending Penn West Clarion in the fall, pursuing a degree in nursing. While at the Career Center, Gwyneth served as student body president and the Allied Health Science president. She was also a member of the National Technical Honor Society and was a member of the volleyball and cheerleading teams at Redbank Valley.

Josie Neiswonger was awarded the Stroup Family Nursing ASN Scholarship.
Josie is a 2023 Redbank Valley High School graduate and will attend Penn West Clarion to pursue a degree in nursing. While attending Redbank, Josie was the Bible Club secretary and Tri-M president. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and marching band and served as co-captain of the softball team. In addition, she was named secretary and vice president of FFA.

Colin Zerbe was awarded the Stroup Family BSN Nursing Scholarship.
Colin is a 2023 graduate of Cranberry High School and will attend Penn West Clarion to pursue a degree in nursing. As a student at Cranberry, he was a member of the National Honor Society for three years and served as the Science Club president. He also earned four letters in both baseball and basketball and served as team captain for the basketball team during his senior year.

Jenna Stefanacci was awarded the Stroup Family BSN Nursing Scholarship.
Jenna is a 2023 Allegheny-Clarion Valley High School graduate and will attend Penn West Clarion to pursue a degree in nursing. While at A-C Valley, Jenna participated in varsity volleyball and was treasurer of the Art Club. She was also a member of the AmeriCorps program, providing support and academic assistance to elementary students in her school district.

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Nationally recognized for quality care, Independence Health System comprises Butler Memorial, Clarion, Frick, Latrobe and Westmoreland Hospitals with a combined bed count of 925. With more than 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers and 7,300 employees, the System is now the third largest in western Pennsylvania serving a population base of 750,000 in a footprint spanning more than 10 counties.

The System includes tertiary programs that are rated among America’s best for cardiac care and surgery by Healthgrades in its Top 100 and Top 50 designations, and one of only five in Pennsylvania to achieve a five-star rating in cardiac surgery. In similar fashion, the prestigious Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) bestowed its top three-star rating. Historically, less than 10 percent of programs within the STS data base achieve this elite standing. The hospitals of Independence Health System also have earned a host of accolades from such prestigious outlets and sources as US News and World Report, Newsweek Magazine, the American College of Radiology, the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Surgeons, the Joint Commission, Leapfrog and the American Heart/Stroke Association.

Locally owned and locally controlled, Independence Health System offers its patients low-cost, high-quality care across the care spectrum in such specialties as cardiology, cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, orthopedics and sports medicine, minimally invasive and robotic surgery, women’s health and obstetrics, emergency medicine, behavioral health and primary care. Its network of outpatient centers sees more than 1.2 million visits annually. The homecare division further supports patients at all stages of life with home health and hospice services.

Independence Health System continues to change the healthcare landscape in western Pennsylvania by meeting patient needs through superb physician expertise, outstanding nursing, the latest in technology and programmatic depth.