The scholarship is open to all graduating seniors from schools in Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties who plan to attend college in Texas and want to pursue careers in health care.
Ashley Gomez, scholarship program manager at the St. David's Foundation, said fostering a health care pipeline in Central Texas is a critical need.
Between 2017 and 2021, online job postings for unique health care worker positions in Texas increased by 63.3%; during this same time, demand in small to medium-sized metro counties increased by 82.8%, according to the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit that—among several key functions—conducts labor market research.
Data from the Texas Medical Association shows these gaps are projected to increase as Texas’ population continues to surge.
The benefits of the scholarship include $7,500 in yearly tuition assistance, academic tutoring and mental health counseling. Recipients are also paired with a mentor to guide them through their undergraduate years.
“Having a mentor in the very early stages of your career and education is vital for many students—particularly those who are first in their families to attend college,” Gomez said.
The scholarship is based on merit and financial need. For the first time since the scholarship began in 2005, ACT and SAT test scores as well as recommendations from school teachers and counselors are not required in the application.
“Test scores aren't the indicator of success—grit and determination are,” Gomez said.
Rather than focusing on getting a high standardized test score for the Kocurek Scholarship, Gomez recommends focusing on writing strong essays.
Essays that show a student has an interest in helping their community and ability to persevere through life’s difficulties are two major qualities the foundation is looking for, Gomez said.
The staff at St. David's who analyze scholarship applications recently underwent implicit bias training—a process of identifying their natural prejudices—to ensure all applications are being evaluated equally.
The deadline for the St. David’s Foundation's Neal Kocurek Scholarship is Jan. 6.
