Daniel and Katina Carusillo Scholarship Recipients

2020: Darlon Jan

2019: Adam Goode and Tom Liu

2018: Adam Goode

That something was the human element, which he found right away as a medical student. Goode was one of nine students at the school who were awarded named scholarships this year. Goode received the Daniel and Katina Carusillo VTC School of Medicine Scholarship, which is awarded annually to two deserving students at the medical school.

“All of my classmates enjoy being here, but tuition and living expenses are big stressors for a lot of them,” Goode said. “Any help means a lot, not just financially but also the fact that people reach out and understand.”

Read the story.

2018: Lindsay Maguire

Maguire was one of two students this year who were awarded the Daniel and Katina Carusillo VTC School of Medicine Scholarship, an annual award going to deserving students demonstrating a financial need. She plans to use it to help offset living expenses while she’s in school and is appreciative of all of the school’s donor gifts, especially those that go directly to students.

“It’s the mental and emotional, in addition to the financial, support that getting a scholarship provides,” she said. “It reinforces that I’m supposed to be here, that someone thinks I’m worthy.”

Read the story.

2017: Quan Phung and Darlon Jan

Pieces of his past have shaped Quan Phung’s future, including his decision to become a doctor.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t have a lot of the bone structure in my mouth. I went to a lot of different doctors when I was kid, getting referred back and forth. No one would address the situation,” Phung said. “Eventually I met a dentist when I was 13, and he stepped in to take care of it. It made the difference and started planting the idea to go into medicine.”

2016: Natasha Dhiman and Ani Gowd

2015: Mohammed Khan

According to Mohammed Khan, who earned a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University, his volunteer work and participation in international medical trips allowed him to witness the immense impact that medicine can have on society. In addition, his upbringing in a military household instilled in him a duty to serve society in one of the best manners possible, as a doctor.

“My personal experiences,” Khan said, “have prepared me to focus on the greater purpose that is medicine: the alleviation of human suffering.”

Read the story.

2015: Jessica Nguyen

Jessica Nguyen would have never pictured herself as a medical student a decade ago — let alone one receiving a letter of distinction for her research project.

“I was the first person in my family to get a college degree, so being a physician was never even on my radar. I assumed you had to be super brilliant or part of this special class of people,” Nguyen said.