FHN Awards Four 2024 Healthcare Career Scholarships
Four area students have been awarded scholarships to help cover the cost of healthcare education. Again this year, an outstanding group of students submitted applications for the scholarships.
Pictured left to right: Maddie Obert, FHN Scholarship Committee; Kathy Martinez, FHN COO/CNO; Haley Smith, Emily Allison, Abbey Hammer; Mark Gridley, FHN President and CEO; Carol Boeke, FHN Scholarship Committee; Rilee Smith, FHN Scholarship Committee. Bintou Timbiné was unable to attend.
Each student wrote an essay about their career path along with strengths and personal goals to support the healthcare needs of FHN’s service area, and the top candidates were selected for face-to-face interviews.
After the interviews, three Healthcare Career Scholarship applicants and one Diversity Healthcare Career Scholarship applicant were chosen to each receive a $1,000 scholarship. All of FHN’s scholarships are funded through donations to the FHN Foundation.
The 2024 Healthcare Career Scholarship winners are:
Emily Allison from Ridott, who is pursuing a Physical Therapist Assistant degree at Highland Community College in Freeport with plans to transfer to Blackhawk Technical College or Elgin Community College to finish her degree.
Abbey Hammer from Shannon, who is pursuing a Nursing degree at Highland Community College in Freeport.
Hayley Smith from Warren, who is pursuing a Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at UW-Madison in Madison, Wis.
The 2024 Diversity Healthcare Career Scholarship winner is Bintou Timbiné of Rockford, who is pursuing a Doctorate of Pharmacy degree at the University of Illinois-Chicago, Rockford Campus.
FHN Scholarships
FHN is proud to offer a number of scholarships for students pursuing careers in healthcare. Please read the description of each scholarship carefully, then download and apply for the one(s) that fit you.
Deadline for applications is Friday, September 5, 2025
Healthcare Career Scholarship Program
To uphold the Mission of FHN and services we provide in our communities through the support of future healthcare professionals, FHN is providing up to three $1,000 scholarships to students pursuing specific healthcare careers.
Applications will be accepted from any student residing in FHN's service area and currently enrolled in an accredited program of study involving the following healthcare careers:
Health Information Management (HIM)
Imaging/Radiology Technologists (Cardiac, Diagnostic or Vascular Ultrasound, CT Technology, MRI, Radiology, or Nuclear Medicine)
Information Technology (with a focus on healthcare)
Medical Assistant
Medical Technologist (MT), Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), Clinical Laboratory Scientist, and Medical Laboratory Scientist
Nursing (Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
Pharmacist
Rehabilitation Services (Physical Therapist (PT), Occupational Therapist (OT), Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA), Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA), Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)
Respiratory Therapist
Surgical Technologist
Benefit-eligible staff of FHN may not apply.
To apply:
Complete the application form
Provide evidence of a current GPA of 3.0 or better
Participate in an interview, if selected as a finalist
Submit a typed, approximately 500-word essay responding to the following question:
Why did you choose your career path, what have you done to support it, and how would it benefit FHN's service area?
All entries will become the property of FHN and will not be returned.
Funds will be disbursed to the winning students' college or university to be applied toward expenses for the Spring 2025 term.
Dates to Remember:
Deadline for applications is Friday, September 5, 2025
Finalist interviews conducted October thru November 2025
Winners announced and funds disbursed in December 2025
For more information, call FHN Human Resources at 815-599-6336 or email recruitment@fhn.org.
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Volunteer Services Scholarship Program
One $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a student enrolled in a fully accredited college with a major in a healthcare field. The student MUST be an active member of the FHN Student Volunteer Program with a minimum of 40 career hours.
Applications will be accepted from any student residing in FHN's service area and currently enrolled in an accredited program of study involving the following healthcare careers:
- Health Information Management (HIM)
- Imaging/Radiology Technologists (Cardiac, Diagnostic or Vascular Ultrasound, CT Technology, MRI, Radiology, or Nuclear Medicine)
- Information Technology (with a focus on healthcare)
- Medical Assistant
- Medical Technologist (MT), Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), Clinical Laboratory Scientist, and Medical Laboratory Scientist
- Nursing (Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
- Pharmacist
- Rehabilitation Services (Physical Therapist (PT), Occupational Therapist (OT), Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA), Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA), Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)
- Respiratory Therapist
- Surgical Technologist
To apply:
Complete the application form
Provide evidence of a current GPA of 3.0 or better
Participate in an interview, if selected as a finalist
Submit a typed, double-spaced one-page essay on the topic:
Why did you choose your career path, and how has your volunteer experience at FHN contributed to your personal career goals?
All entries will become the property of FHN and will not be returned.
Funds will be disbursed to the winning student's college or university to be applied toward expenses for the Spring 2025 term.
Dates to Remember:
Deadline for applications is Friday, September 5, 2025
Finalist interviews conducted October thru November 2025
Winners announced and funds disbursed in December 2025
For more information, call FHN Human Resources at 815-599-6336 or email recruitment@fhn.org.
Read More
Diversity Healthcare Career Scholarship
At FHN, our effectiveness at using the talents of people of different backgrounds, experience, and perspectives is key to successfully achieving our mission and strategic business objectives.
To uphold the Mission of FHN and services we provide in our communities through the support of future healthcare professionals, FHN is providing a $1,000 diversity scholarship opportunity to students pursuing specified healthcare careers.
Applications will be accepted from any minority student residing in FHN's service area currently enrolled in an accredited program of study involving the following healthcare careers:
Health Information Management (HIM)
Imaging/Radiology Technologists (Cardiac, Diagnostic or Vascular Ultrasound, CT Technology, MRI, Radiology, or Nuclear Medicine)
Information Technology (with a focus on healthcare)
Medical Assistant
Medical Technologist (MT), Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), Clinical Laboratory Scientist, and Medical Laboratory Scientist
Nursing (Registered Nurse (RN) or Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
Pharmacist
Rehabilitation Services (Physical Therapist (PT), Occupational Therapist (OT), Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA), Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA), Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)
Respiratory Therapist
Surgical Technologist
Benefit-eligible staff of FHN may not apply
To apply:
Complete the application form
Provide evidence of a current GPA of 3.0 or better
Participate in an interview, if selected as a finalist
Submit a typed, approximately 500-word essay responding to the following question:
Why did you choose your career path, what have you done to support it, and how would it benefit FHN's service area?
All entries will become the property of FHN and will not be returned.
Funds will be disbursed to the winning student's college or university to be applied toward expenses for the Spring 2025 term.
Dates to Remember:
Deadline for applications is Friday, September 5, 2025
Finalist interviews conducted October thru November 2025
Winners announced and funds disbursed in December 2025
For more information, call FHN Human Resources at 815-599-6336 or email recruitment@fhn.org.
Read More
• At all times, FHN reserves the right to determine whether the one (1) scholarship opportunity is to be awarded based upon its review of the applications received. FHN also reserves the right to determine qualifications/eligibility. A minority student selected to receive the scholarship shall be responsible for all tax consequences arising from the scholarship.
• A "minority student" is an individual who is either African American/Black (a person having origins in any of the black racial groups in Africa); Hispanic American (a person of Spanish or Portuguese culture with origins in Mexico, South or Central America, or the Caribbean Islands, regardless of race); Asian American (a person with origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and the Pacific Islands (including, among others, Hawaii, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia); or Native American (a person who is a member of a federally or state recognized Indian tribe, or whose parents or grandparents have such membership, including native people of Alaska).
• For purposes of this program, the "service area" includes Stephenson, Jo Daviess, Carroll, Ogle, and Winnebago counties in Illinois.
• In order to be eligible, the minority student must be currently enrolled in an accredited program of study involving the noted healthcare careers and/or have otherwise declared their major in such a career and are taking courses in furtherance of that major.
