Memorial Hospital of Chester, IL is proud to announce that Mabry Wingerter, daughter of Chris and Nicki Wingerter of Chester, IL, is the recipient of the 2024 Memorial Hospital Medical Explorer Scholarship awarded by the Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. Applicants for this award must be seniors in high school or currently enrolled in college, be members of the Memorial Hospital Medical Explorer Program, complete an application essay, six hours of job shadowing, and complete a reflection essay. Upon their completion of the scholarship process, the committee reviews their evaluations from job shadowing along with their essays. This year’s applicants included Josalynn Anaya, Liberty McCormick, and Mabry Wingerter, all from Chester High School. All three applicants have been active members of the Medical Explorers Program for multiple years and enjoyed their time job shadowing and learning about the variety of careers available in healthcare.
Anaya will be attending Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) where she plans to attend their Radiology program and McCormick plans to pursue a career in nursing.
Wingerter, this year’s recipient will be attending Westminster College this fall and plans to major in biology with the goal of becoming a Physician Assistant. She has been a member of the Explorers Program at Memorial for two years. Her favorite presentations were from the radiology and surgical nursing departments. She enjoyed job shadowing with the Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners at the Chester Clinic and her observations in the diagnostic imaging department, “I learned how important it is to develop good relationships with the patients,” said Wingerter, “and I was amazed at how the imaging machines work and found it really interesting.”
Wingerter has a passion for volleyball and volunteering. This past year she worked with another student at Chester High School to manage the “Just for Jackets Food Pantry.” The pantry serves students at CHS, and bags are organized to go home with families every two weeks. Her Junior and Senior year at CHS she was in the National Honor Society and participated in volunteer work at basketball games, track meets, the Chester Grade School’s Santa’s Cottage, tutoring students, and helping with blood drives at the high school.
Overall, Wingert had this to say about her experience in the Memorial Hospital Medical Explorers Program,
“I absolutely loved this program, and I would recommend that any student looking into the medical field should join the program. You are exposed to so many opportunities and different fields that can spark an interest for you. This program has helped me find the career path that I am certain is the best path for me.”
All scholarship applicants this year were very worthy of receiving the $500 award and the committee was impressed by their ambition and commitment to their futures in their selected healthcare careers. The committee would like to thank them all for their participation in the scholarship program and wish them success in fulfilling their future goals.
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