Meet our 2026 Healthcare Scholarship Recipients

Every year, our Healthcare Scholarship Program offers more than financial support. It offers an investment in the people who will care for our families, strengthen our communities, and shape the future of healthcare across the Inland Empire.

For the past decade, the Riverside Medical Clinic Charitable Foundation has invested in students pursuing careers in healthcare. What began as a single scholarship opportunity has grown into a program encompassing three educational pathways—College, Continuing Education, and Technical Education—along with the Dr. Robert H. Joseph Memorial Scholarship and the Scotty Bear Project Kindness Scholarship. Together, these scholarships reflect our belief that building a stronger healthcare system begins by investing in those preparing to serve it.

This year marked an important milestone for the program. We expanded eligibility beyond Riverside County to our neighboring county of San Bernardino – allowing us to reach the entire Inland Empire –  while increasing outreach to those already pursuing healthcare degrees. The response was extraordinary. Applications increased fivefold from last year, with particularly strong interest from students already enrolled in college and graduate programs. By the close of the application period, each recipient faced roughly a one-in-seven chance of earning a scholarship.

Yet numbers tell only part of the story.

Every applicant was evaluated on academic achievement, community service, professional experience, and the strength of their personal statement. More importantly, they were asked to answer a simple but salient question: Why healthcare?

Their answers revealed a remarkable common thread. While each student’s path was unique, nearly every application looked beyond a future job and toward a future community.

Some hope to expand access to healthcare by serving patients in Federally Qualified Health Centers, bringing care to communities where access remains limited. Others aspire to become pediatric nurses, child psychologists, physician assistants, and primary care physicians, dedicating themselves to caring for children and families through every stage of life. Several students described plans to improve health through public policy, transportation, housing, nutrition, and preventive care—recognizing that health is shaped by far more than what happens inside a clinic. Others spoke about caring for populations too often overlooked, including older adults, individuals experiencing homelessness, and patients navigating language and cultural barriers.

Their aspirations span medicine, nursing, psychology, radiologic technology, physician assistant studies, podiatric medicine, and public health. Yet across every discipline, one theme emerged repeatedly: a commitment to building healthier communities through service, compassion, leadership, and education.

Selecting this year’s recipients was no easy task. Every application was independently reviewed by volunteer evaluators who carefully considered each student’s accomplishments, experiences, and vision for the future. Only after every application had been read, every score submitted, and every discussion concluded did we arrive at the remarkable students recognized this year.

These are the students who became the one in seven.

We are honored to celebrate our 2026 Healthcare Scholarship recipients and proud to invest in the next generation of healthcare professionals. Their journeys are just beginning, and we look forward to the many ways they will strengthen the health of our communities for years to come.