The ARC/STSA is proud to announce the recipients of the 2023 scholarship awards. This year, ARC/STSA awarded 10 student scholarships of $500 each and one $1,000 educator scholarship. Join us in celebrating these accomplished recipients, whose quotes are shared below.
Our 2024 scholarship applications will be available by October 2023 on the ARC/STSA website Scholarship page.
Chris Keegan Memorial Educator Scholarship Recipient
Nicole Van Vonderen, CST, FAST
Surgical Technology Faculty
Northcentral Technical College, Wasau, Wisconsin
I have a love and passion for the profession of surgical technology that I want to spread to others. Teaching students about what I love and seeing them understand and grasp what I am saying means the world to me. With this scholarship, I will be able to go back to school for my bachelor’s degree so that I can continue to give back to who and what brought me to where I am today. I want to learn as much as I can to continue to be a wealth of knowledge for generations to come.
Student Scholarship Recipients
Emmaline Bello
Eastwick College, Ramsey, New Jersey
My overall goal is to be a surgical technologist who assists in trauma surgery. With my background as a volunteer firefighter, I understand and thrive under the pressure of an emergency situation. I was drawn to the field of surgical technology because I have a strong drive to make a positive impact on others’ lives, and I am a very meticulous and organized person. Receiving this award is an amazing opportunity for my educational growth and will help me achieve my educational goals by allowing me to focus more on my studying. I would like to thank the ARC/STSA, my professors, and my mom for encouraging me and assisting with my training to become a Certified Surgical Technologist.
Katherine Cabrera
Wichita State University Campus of Applied Science and Technology, Wichita, Kansas
My goal as a surgical technologist is to help people when I can whether it is patients, coworkers, or students. I hope to gain experience in every aspect of the profession and progress in this career path. This scholarship will help me financially this next semester and with supplies for my clinical experience.
Ruby Chapdelaine
Nashville State Community College, Nashville, Tennessee
I am proud to have recently graduated from the surgical technology program at Nashville State Community College with my Associate of Applied Science. The year prior I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Diversity and Community Studies, magna cum laude. Within this degree, I focused on women’s studies and formed a local community aid coalition for survivors of sexual assault. I bring this passion and empathy to my future career in gynecological surgery and am looking forward to working as a Certified Surgical Technologist this year!
Elyse Crotty
St. Luke’s University Hospital, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
I am extremely humbled and thankful to be a recipient of this scholarship. I am excited to continue to advance my skills in surgical technology in order to give each patient the best possible surgical outcome. I look forward to becoming a vital member of both a life-changing and a life-saving surgical team.
Paige Ellsworth
Silicon Valley Surgi-Tech Institute, Milpitas, California
Although I have had a wide variety of experiences, I feel I have truly found my passion in surgical technology and am eager to learn all that I can in this exciting profession. I have background as an EMT and aspire to work as part of a trauma team. I strive to gain the necessary skills and efficiency needed for this environment, and I know this achievement will help me continue on this new path and ultimately achieve my goal to become a surgical technologist.
Donna Evans
Maine Medical Center School of Surgical Technology, South Portland, Maine
I have seen some fascinating procedures since beginning my clinicals, and I often marvel at the skill of my preceptors and the importance of their role in the operating room. With continued experience, I aspire to be just as skilled a preceptor while always remembering what it was like to be a student. I feel strongly that remembering your experiences as a student plays just as important a role as the technical aspect when it comes to being a successful and effective preceptor.
As a future surgical technologist, I look forward to becoming a valued member of the OR team and an essential part of the patient’s care.
Megan Hamann
Lake Superior College, Duluth, Minnesota
This scholarship will help me continue my journey to becoming a surgical technologist and will be used towards tuition for the upcoming fall semester. I am currently employed at Memorial Medical Center in Ashland, Wisconsin, where I plan to start my career as a surgical technologist. At some point, after graduation and working as a surgical technologist for a few years, I would like to further pursue my education and become a surgical first assistant. I have always had a passion for surgery and can’t wait to see where my journey as a surgical technologist takes me.
Deanna Hayden
Chippewa Valley Technical College, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Being the last line of defense for patient safety and sterility in the operating room requires someone with strong and effective communication. Knowing you helped save a life or countless lives is a sense of pride and accomplishment found in very few careers. This is only one of the many rewarding aspects of being a surgical technologist that I look forward to.
This scholarship will help me pay for the educational requirements to pursue my associate degree in surgical technology. I will then continue on to complete the educational requirements to become a surgical first assistant. Thank you for this amazing scholarship and the opportunity you have given me to further my education in the surgical field!
Carissa Manzo
Mt. Diablo Adult Education, Concord, California
With my surgical technology program coming to an end in a few short weeks, I find myself filled with gratitude and eager for my future as a Certified Surgical Technologist. Clinicals have molded me, challenged me, and given me a level of confidence in the operating room that I will carry with me as I start my new career. I am humbled to have been awarded this ARC/STSA scholarship and with it I will be one step closer to paying off my tuition. Thank you!
Kara Simmons
Des Moines Area Community College, Des Moines, Iowa
Working to become a surgical technologist has been a whirlwind, but overall, it has been absolutely amazing. I am so grateful to get to work in the OR day in and day out in such a unique environment, and I finally feel like I am where I am meant to be.
I am excited to continue to learn and grow and to become that voice that advocates for the best possible patient care, every single procedure.
My goals are to pass the certification exam on my first try and to eventually further my education to become a surgical first assist, or maybe an RN. I love that this field has endless opportunities to learn.
