In 2013, UNAC/UHCP inaugurated an ambitious scholarship program, which remains a successful part of our union’s support of professional education, training, and advanced certification.
In 2021, UNAC/UHCP received hundreds of scholarship applications. Each application and essay were given careful consideration. The scholarship program was made possible by member volunteers who helped score applications. UNAC/UHCP members personally reviewed and scored each application three times according to set criteria before winners were determined.
Congratulations to our winners, listed below. Stay tuned for information about the 2022 scholarship program in March 2022.
2021 Kathy J. Sackman Member Scholarship Winners
Sharp Chula Vista RN Barbra De Guzman will use her Masters of Science in Nursing Education degree from Grand Canyon University to become a unit educator and a clinical instructor for future nursing students.
Kaiser Baldwin Park RN Kyung Jung is attending Colorado Technical University, studying for her MBA in Healthcare Management and will be attending an NP program next year.
Kaiser San Diego SCNSC member David Soliman, NP, is a DNP candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, his major area of focus is system improvement and executive leadership.
Kaiser Downey RN Tina Vuong is attending UCLA in pursuit of her MSN/APRN, with the ultimate goal of becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Kaiser Woodland Hills RN Nicole Zito is currently attending Grand Canyon University pursuing her DNP focused on leadership, management, and administration.
2021 Sonia Moseley Family Scholarship Winners
Kaiser Baldwin Park RN Lily Chen’s son, Nicholas Chen, is currently majoring in biology at UC Berkeley, with plans to go to medical school and work as a physician.
Kaiser Ontario RN Minh Duong’s daughter, Samantha Duong-Brett, is in her second year at UCLA and is pursuing a B.S. in Human Biology & Society.
UPSC member pharmacist Tho Ngo’s daughter, Adrienne Ngo, is currently attending UC Berkeley, studying for her Doctor of Optometry degree.
Kaiser San Diego RN Christine Roque’s son, Paolo Roque, is currently a sophomore at Point Loma Nazarene University, studying for his BSN.
Kaiser Bakersfield RN Jessica Tran’s daughter, Hannah Tran, is attending Teachers College, Columbia University, studying for her Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology with a research and clinical focus on trauma.
2021 Delima MacDonald Community Scholarship Winners
Paulina Escobedo is a current second-year master’s student at the University of San Diego Hahn School of Nursing and she hopes to work in pediatric and public health nursing.
Galen Freedman is attending USC, studying for her doctorate in Occupational Therapy with a focus on spinal cord injury rehabilitation.
Elizabeth Ottiniano is currently attending Mount Saint Mary’s University, working towards her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
Crystal Phay is attending California University of Science and Medicine, completing a Master’s in Biomedical Science and pursuing a MD or DO degree afterwards.
Jasmin Woo is a MSN Family Nurse Practitioner student at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
2021 Alexis G. Philius Scholarship Winners
We are proud to announce the recipients of the new 2021 UNAC/UHCP Alexis G. Philius Scholarship. Lack of diversity has significant consequences on health outcomes and health equity for patients and communities of color. We are proud to announce the first class of student winners, selected from outstanding applications from across the country. Among the winners are students pursuing nursing, medicine, and public health administration, and taking on issues of health care disparity, mentoring at-risk youth, and expanding global health initiatives.
The students—who had excellent academic records—also demonstrated strong commitments to service beyond the bedside. Their stories are compelling, and we are excited to see them reach high achievements and leave their own legacies.
Five $2,000 scholarships have been awarded to:
Alexis Higgins-Williams of South San Francisco—pursuing her Master of Science (MS) in Global Medicine at the University of Southern California
Jasmine Smith of Chino, CA—attending Azusa Pacific University to become a Family Nurse Practitioner and focus on women’s health disparities
Jessica Times of Los Angeles—pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) at Emory University in Atlanta, to work in public health
Christopher Washington of Tinley Park, IL—pursuing his Doctor of Medicine (MD) at Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University in Philadelphia
Rathail Woods of Ukiah, CA—attending Pepperdine University to attain his Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) and work with high-risk, transition-aged youth.
Special thanks to this year’s Scholarship Review Committee! This program would not be possible without all our wonderful volunteer reviewers.
| Mikal Akbar | Vannessa Alexander-Davis | Alani Artates |
| Joslyn Blakely | Jacqueline Bowman | Kristina Carmouche |
| Jane Carter | Rose Allaine Casado | Kim Coleman |
| Crystal Coyazo Hertz | Jamila Daniel | Berklee Donavan |
| Nicole Faircloth | Ian Gabriel Finch | Irene Grace Go |
| Cecilia Gray | Bridgette Harris | Daphne A Hawkins |
| Tina Henderson | Paul Ryan Hernandez | Shawntae Hines |
| Jessica Hooper | Judy Liu | Bill A. Lloyd |
| Ise Lyfe | Sandra Marques | Tenesha Masaitis |
| Eric McNally | Yvette McNally | George Miller Jr. |
| Phylisha Miller | Natalie Nguyen | Jacqueline O’Connor |
| Susan Opas | Geshalem Perez | Barbara Perry |
| Perpetua Presto | Sheryl Quiamco | Jeff Rogers |
| Brandy Rosero | Peter Sadler | Emma Santiago |
| Kory D Singh | Donna Smith | Pamela Spinner |
| Sue Stone | Bev Tang | Anjetta Thackeray |
| Nastassja Velasquez | Effrim Volkoff | Tanya Walters |
| Beverly White | Greg Wilson | Karla Zuniga |