The Prem Reddy Family Foundation Scholarship Program

Ontario, CA, 2021-Oct-14 — /EPR Network/ — 2021-Oct-14 — /EPR Network/ — Many students of the Inland Empire and the High Desert Area of California take a few steps closer to their dream of establishing a career in healthcare through the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation scholarship program. Prime Healthcare Chairman, Dr. Prem Reddy M.D, established the Dr. Reddy Family Foundation in 1994. Since then, it has awarded over $1.2 million in academic scholarships. It has also donated to various charities, including those that support college scholarships, public healthcare education, and free community clinics.

Dr. Prem Reddy conceptualized the scholarship program to reward students with academic excellence and a penchant for community services. The Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation awards scholarships to over 60 students every year.  

Scholarship Recipients from the Previous Years

The scholarship program awards ceremony is an annual event organized by the foundation to felicitate the recipients. Over the years, many aspirants have inspired other dreamers through this platform. Here are some memorable tales from recent years.

2019 – Sreynich ‘Nikki’ In

Nikki immigrated to America from Cambodia in 2005 with her mother after tragically losing her father. Unfortunately, she also lost her stepfather in quick succession, which made survival a daunting task. Her mother stabilized the family’s losses and helped Nikki pursue her education. As a result, Nikki graduated from Apple Valley High school and aspired to enroll in the nursing program at Grand Canyon University. 

As a scholarship recipient, Nikki aspired to study at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and become a nurse practitioner. Nikki credited her mother for her success and said it wouldn’t have been possible to keep her dream alive without her mother’s support.

“Dreams are not meant to just be dreams, they’re meant to be lived”, Nikki said towards the end of her keynote as her eyes gleamed with pride when her mother joined her on the stage. 

2020 – Nabil Assar

Nabil is a native of Morocco and grew up in a rough neighborhood with no water supply or electricity. As a child, his job was to take a wheelbarrow full of buckets to the town tap to fill them with water. Nabil overcame many challenges in his life, poverty being the most troublesome of all. However, all the hardships didn’t deter his spirit, and he was determined to pursue a better life for his family.

He moved to the United States and attended community college, and by 2018 Nabil was accepted to UC Riverside. At the time of receiving his scholarship, Nabil was pursuing his B.S degree in Neuroscience. His goal was to become a neurosurgeon and volunteer with organizations such as ‘Doctors without Borders. 

“I am an example of someone who was never expected to amount to anything, but through hard work, I am the first person in my family to go to college,” said Nabil in the 2020 virtual awards ceremony. 

Updates from the 2021 Scholarship Awards Ceremony

In 2021, 81 outstanding High Desert students attended the 2021 virtual award ceremony hosted by the Dr. Prem Reddy Family foundation. Daniela Gonzalez-Negrete, a nursing student at Victor Valley College, and Lucinda Jimenez, a student of Azusa Pacific University, were two of the prominent keynote speakers.

Daniela used the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation scholarship program to test the waters in a hospital environment by volunteering at the Desert Valley Hospital. Despite losing multiple family members in the COVID-19 pandemic, she was strong enough to pursue high education in nursing. 

“As a dreamer, I was unable to travel back to my home country of Mexico and be with my loved ones in their final moments, but I am forever grateful to the people who cared for them and the nurses who ensured they were comfortable; as they left the world,” Daniela said as she addressed the virtual ceremony.

Lucinda lost her father at a young age and lived with her sister with kidney complications. Her mother was constantly in and out of prison. By the time she was 18 years old, she had become the mother of four children and was forced to give up on her educational goals. After her children became older, she gave her passion a second thought and decided to become a hospice nurse. She earned her high school diploma at the Hesperia Adult School in 2017.  

“The first thing that I want to do is thank the foundation for my scholarship. It helped me to have enough money to pay for books”. “I’m so very grateful for all that they’ve done for the other students and me,” Lucinda said during the 2021 virtual ceremony held by the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation. 

The Legacy Continues 

The Dr. Prem Reddy Family foundation’s commitment to advancing medical education will inspire, guide, and nurture hundreds of budding clinicians in the future. 

Visit https://www.premreddy.com/Community-Support/Scholarships.aspx for more details about the scholarship program.