High School Health Scholarship Recipients Announced

Each year, Upland Hills Health awards two area high school students $500 each in the form of a scholarship, to pursue a healthcare career. This year, the Upland Hills Health Foundation stepped in and chose to fund an additional three scholarships. The five recipients for 2021 are Natalie Goetzke and Anthony Vivian of Dodgeville High School, Emily Cody and Chloe Oberhauser of Mineral Point High School and Leah Marx of Barneveld High School.

Natalie will attend UW Eau Claire, with plans to major in Nursing. Her application stated, “I have never doubted that healthcare is where I need to be because of the draw I have to care and serve others. It was the healthcare workers within my community who have inspired me to become a nurse. Over the years I have listened to family friends who are intelligent, patient, and well-educated talk about how much they love working in healthcare. People are most vulnerable when they are sick or don’t feel well. I want to be able to do all in my power to help others when I can.”

Anthony plans to pursue a career in physical therapy, starting with a major in exercise science and sports science/kinesiology at UW LaCrosse. His own sports injuries and health experiences pointed him to his future career. “They [my physical therapists]

listened empathetically to me and showed compassion towards helping me recover. Not only did they support me unconditionally, but ensured that my comfort was front and center. Both also knew when to push and when to pull back on what we were doing that week based on my level of progression. As someone who has had to push through a couple obstacles, I know I can be the person that is able to assist others when they need it. I am excited to help many people and am determined to successfully achieve this personal goal of mine,” he wrote.

Emily has received her Certified Nursing Assistant license, and plans to continue into the healthcare field by pursuing a degree in biochemistry at UW Madison. “So many aspects of my life have pushed me towards the oncology field; therefore, I believe it is my life purpose to follow that path. I am confident the medical field will be the right fit for me. I have received my Certified

Nursing Assistant license, and clinicals were one of the best experiences I have ever had.”

Chloe plans to attend UW Madison to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering. In her application essay, she wrote, “I always looked up to the individuals in the healthcare field. I envied their intelligence and ability to problem-solve. Along with being amazed by work and devotion of healthcare providers, I always had a passion for mathematics and science. This fall, I plan to study Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Biomedical Engineering, also known as BME, is applying engineering to design and implement ideas to improve medicine and treatment. BME is beginning to revolutionize the

healthcare field, and I hope to assist with technological growth.”

Leah will pursue a nursing degree at Edgewood College in the fall with plans to further her education and practice in Southwest Wisconsin. “I have heard my parents talk about how much they have enjoyed working in their healthcare careers, which motivated me to obtain my Certified Nursing Assistant certification last summer. Healthcare is such an interesting career as there are so many different occupations and specialties that you can go into and specialize in. My first objective will be to obtain my nursing degree, work in the field and then hopefully have the opportunity to work toward my Advanced Practitioner Nurse Prescriber degree,” she explained in her application essay.

Other scholarships available through Upland Hills Health and in partnership with Southwest Tech, can be found at

uplandhillshealth.org/scholarships.