Springfield students awarded first CoxHealth scholarships

Five University of Missouri School of Medicine students were honored as the first recipients of the CoxHealth Springfield Clinical Campus Scholarship in a ceremony Monday in Springfield.

Savannah Davis, Aundria Eoff, Rachel Plate, Derek Stokes and Nick Timmerwilke each received $4,000 scholarships.

The annual awards are designated for MU medical students who are studying at the Springfield Clinical Campus, which opened in 2016. CoxHealth president and CEO Steve Edwards presented certificates to the winners.

Here’s what the scholarship winners had to say about receiving the awards:

• Savannah Davis: “Being selected as a recipient of the CoxHealth Student Scholarship is a great honor. Not only does this scholarship alleviate some of the financial burden of medical school, but it also demonstrates how much support I have from the community. It is all too easy to lose sight of the end goal while facing endless studying, sleepless nights and never-ending to-do lists, but this scholarship serves as a nice reminder of what really matters: the patients I will someday be caring for.”
• Aundria Eoff: “The amount of support the Springfield community, especially CoxHealth, has provided the MU School of Medicine Springfield Clinical Campus students continues to amaze me. Knowing that the organizations affiliated with MU-SCC support the students both academically and financially makes for such a stress-free, enjoyable clinical experience. As a Springfield native, this opportunity to complete my clinical rotation in Springfield not only allows me to work one-on-one with attending physicians, but I get to network within the community where I wish to practice in the future.”
• Rachel Plate: “I am very grateful for the CoxHealth scholarship. It exemplifies the community’s support of the Springfield Clinical Campus. Their generosity brings peace of mind in a busy season and is extremely helpful in taking the next steps towards residency.”
• Derek Stokes: “I am extremely grateful to have been one of the individuals selected to receive the first CoxHealth Springfield Clinical Campus Scholarships. The investment CoxHealth is exhibiting to the Springfield Clinical Campus and MU medical students alike is superb and not to be overlooked.”
• Nick Timmerwilke: “It is difficult to express how grateful I am. Winning this scholarship was extremely helpful in reducing some of the financial burdens associated with medical school. I rely on scholarships and loans in order to pay for my schooling, rent and food. I have relied upon scholarship funding throughout medical school, and I cannot wait for the day that I have a stable income and can develop my own scholarships for students in similar situations.”