DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This week the national behavioral healthcare provider FHE Health announced the first two recipients of its “Hope for Healing Scholarship.” The annual award goes to two students who distinguish themselves in a field of study related to mental and behavioral health and/or psychiatric nursing. Winners receive a $5000 grant to offset the costs of their education.
In its first year of running, the new initiative drew the national interest of 471 applicants, many of whom were strong candidates. This year’s recipients are Isabel Buckingham, a nursing major at the University of Pennsylvania, and Melanie Ryerson, a master’s student in clinical mental health counseling at the University of Central Florida:
- Buckingham, whose research interests lie in the area of eating disorders, depression and addiction, hopes to become certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and earn a Ph.D. in nursing after she graduates from UPenn.
- Ryerson, a full-time, middle-school, special education teacher, has the dream of one day becoming a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and using her gifts to serve a low-income neighborhood.
Their selection as “Hope for Healing” recipients came after a rigorous application process. The bulk of the applications received were from serious candidates at competitive schools across the country. Winnowing down the pool of applicants, first to eight finalists and then to Ryerson and Buckingham, was no small task for FHE’s scholarship committee.
Both women expressed gratitude for the scholarship. Buckingham called it a “privilege and honor” to receive a scholarship from a healthcare provider that shared her passion for tackling mental illness.
“Words cannot describe how significant this scholarship is to make my dreams a reality,” Ryerson said.
About FHE Health:
FHE Health is a national treatment center that provides high-quality behavioral health services to patients from all walks of life and with a wide variety of addiction and mental health needs. From its headquarters in Deerfield Beach, Florida, FHE Health serves patients locally and from around the country with specialized treatment programs for addictive disorders and other diagnoses such as mood disorders, depression, anxiety and traumatic disorders.