August 24, 2007
Dana-Farber offers college scholarships to four employees
Janae Patterson with grandparents Robert and Nellie Nance
When Janae Patterson and three other high school graduates were honored by Dana-Farber on Aug. 22, she had been both an employee and family member of a cancer patient. She worked in palliative care research during her senior year, after her mother, Latricia Raye, had died from metastatic breast cancer at age 40. Now, she was receiving a $5,000 scholarship to help meet the costs of attending Regis College.
Janae's grandparents, Robert and Nellie Nance, were misty-eyed at the awards ceremony as their granddaughter received a certificate and check from Vice President of Diversity and Organizational Development Robert Amelio. "I'm sure your mother is looking on with pride," he told Janae, who is preparing for a career in nursing.
The students receiving these first-ever scholarships, funded by the American Honda Foundation and Dana-Farber, did not know about the cash prize until they arrived for the ceremony. The Nances, senior citizens who have been supporting Janae and her brother from their fixed income, were relieved to learn that some unmet college costs would now be covered.
The scholarships were available to students who worked at Dana-Farber for at least one year, had an interest in a health-related career, graduated from a Boston public high school in the 2006-07 academic year, and were accepted into an accredited college or university. All four winners happened to be graduates of Fenway High School.
For recipient Shalena Taylor, a prior interest in healthcare sharpened when she came to Dana-Farber to work with the new patient coordinators in Thoracic Oncology. She will attend Boston College in the fall and plans to pursue a career in healthcare administration.
Various summer and school-year jobs at Dana-Farber (in Nuclear Medicine, Patient/Family Education, and Development) gave Katherine Morales, who has her eye on medical school, an array of perspectives that will guide her future as a physician. "I have seen what it's like to be a patient in a hospital, what it's like to work here, and how the organization runs," she says. She will attend Simmons College in the fall.
Nilda Goncalves, bound for Mount Holyoke College, stayed happily in one place at Dana-Farber throughout her junior and senior years and the summers in between: the Friends Boutique. She says she enjoyed her interaction with patients and wishes she could stay. Currently keeping her options open, Goncalves plans to become a doctor, nurse, or healthcare administrator.
All four students were cheered on by their Dana-Farber supervisors and colleagues at the awards presentation. In summing up, Chief Operating Officer Janet Porter, PhD, offered two words for the students to take away. First: Potential. "We are investing in you because you have the potential to make a difference in the lives of others," she said. Second: Remember. "You will always remember your first job, but more importantly, we will remember you."
— Christine Cleary
christine_cleary@dfci.harvard.edu
