The Lancaster Medical Society Foundation, a foundation of the Lancaster City and County Medical Society, recently awarded its 2021 scholarships to Sonia Hafiz, Sarah Hafiz, and Madison Morgan of Lancaster and Kiernan McNelis of Lititz. The recipients were selected through a competitive review process with submissions from applicants throughout Lancaster County.

Sonia, a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College and a first-year medical student at the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, was awarded $4,500. She shared that her volunteer experiences, both in a local hospital and at a refugee camp abroad, led her to her planned career path.

Sarah, an ophthalmic technician and Franklin & Marshall College graduate, currently in her first year at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, received a $3,500 award. She explained that her interest in the combination of advocacy for vulnerable populations and scientific discovery was piqued in high school through her volunteer efforts with pediatric cancer patients and her work with Syrian refugees.

Morgan and McNelis were both awarded $2,000 scholarships.

Morgan is a former trauma research coordinator, a graduate of the University of Tampa, and a first-year medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She shared that her decision to pursue a career in medicine was ignited by her own health issue in high school.

McNelis, a clinical research coordinator and graduate of Villanova University, is an incoming first-year student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. Her passion for medicine was fostered through her experience in both volunteer and professional roles.

Founded in 1991, the Lancaster Medical Society Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was formed to grant scholarships to students from Lancaster County who are accepted at or continuing a medical degree at an accredited allopathic or osteopathic medical school.

Scholarship recipients must exemplify good character, motivation, academic achievement, and financial need. Since the foundation's inception, more than $268,000 in scholarships has been given to local students.