The Maria Petti Memorial Scholarship fund will provide a timely financial boost to two nursing students from Valparaiso who soon will be pursuing their careers after college.
The scholarship, available to Porter and LaPorte County students seeking a career in the surgical field, provides awards of up to $5,000.
Isabella Portugal is currently a junior nursing student at Valparaiso University. “My dream is to work in the OR, in a post-anesthesia care unit. I actually have my first experience in it this semester,” she said. “I’m really excited, really grateful.”
Jordan Parker is in her final semester at Indiana University Northwest and said the award will help her pay for her final semester without debt. “I’m super excited that I received a surgical scholarship to get my foot in the door,” she said.
The Maria Petti Memorial Scholarship was established as a living memorial to Maria Petti, Franciscan Health Michigan City peri-operative director. She nurtured and inspired many students she mentored over her 35 years at the hospital. The scholarship was created to ensure that her passion for health care and the operating room environment she so loved will live on.
Anyone interested in donating to the Maria Petti Scholarship Fund can contact the Franciscan Health Foundation at (219) 661-3401 for more information.
