Recent Southern graduate Matthew Lopez received the National Health Service Corps Scholarship, which allows him to go to Loma Linda University in California for free.
“When I first got accepted to medical school, I couldn’t help but think about the debt I was going to accumulate in the next few years,” Lopez said. “Someone mentioned to me about the National Health Scholarship program, which would pay for my medical school in exchange for a service commitment to underserved areas.”
The application process for the scholarship is quite selective, according to Lopez.
“Over 4,000 people apply each year, but only 150-200 applicants get awarded the scholarship,” Lopez said. “In spite of the odds, I applied anyway. Towards the beginning of Sept., I learned that I became an NHSC recipient. I give all the glory to God.”
Lopez began attending Southern in 2014 and initially faced challenges.
“Moving to Southern was an exciting but also difficult transition period,” Lopez said. “I knew almost no one when I moved to Southern. I often felt homesick because my family was thousands of miles away. Nevertheless, I made lifelong friends and had transforming life experiences. It was great to know that my time at Southern was well spent.” Lopez graduated May of 2018.
Now at Loma Linda, Lopez is facing new struggles associated with medical school.
“The workload is so much harder because I am constantly bombarded with new information. God has definitely been helping me through this challenge. So far, it has been a humbling experience.”
Lopez said that his goal for the future is to, “specialize in internal medicine and pediatrics, so [he] can be well-equipped to serve [his] island community in Saipan,” which is his native country and one of the unserved areas he will serve in post-graduation.