A CULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT

Faith Proper received the Hites Transfer Scholarship in 2012 while attending Palm Beach State College in Florida. In 2020, she will graduate with her J.D. at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she is attending on a full scholarship. This spring, she will work as an extern at AdventHealth in Orlando, Florida. After graduation, beginning in September, she will be working at Alston & Bird in their Atlanta Healthcare practice group.

“I still remember getting the call in the weeks before I started at Emory University. I was so happy and proud. The Hites Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship I applied for, and it was incredibly honoring to be selected. My hard work in community college felt validated, and the award gave me confidence starting at my new school.

“The scholarship significantly decreased my undergraduate student loans, which was a major weight off of my shoulders. When considering my job options after graduating, I wasn’t constrained by the need to make a large payment and was able to pursue a career I love immediately.

“Thank you for supporting an often overlooked group of students! Community colleges receive so much less support than four-year institutions but support so many first-generation and otherwise less-advantaged students.”

Tamara Russell is a 2016 Hites Scholar who attended Mt. San Jacinto College in California. She is in her second year as a Ph.D. student in the biological oceanography program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. She is studying how microplastics move through and accumulate in food webs and will be focused on the Antarctic Peninsula ecosystem. She volunteers with the Birch Aquarium at Scripps and has organized a community group of transfer students from Mt. San Jacinto to help them transition.

“I remember the video interview in which I got told that I was going to receive the Hites Scholarship. It didn’t feel real that I was receiving this distinction, but I also felt like transferring to a four-year college immediately became more financially attainable for me.

“It is hard to express my gratitude for the financial support that the Hites Foundation provided me during my undergraduate studies. This support enabled me to do well academically, completing my B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology summa cum laude and receiving highest honors in my major. On top of being able to focus on courses, I was also able to participate in undergraduate research, which ultimately made me a competitive and successful applicant to graduate school.

“I want to wholeheartedly and sincerely thank the Hites Family for the honor of the award and the financial support, which has significantly helped me through my academic journey. Thank you for continuing to offer this generous award to help transfer students, who often faced unique hardships and where financial support may be limited. These opportunities change lives, and I will forever be grateful for how it has changed mine!”

Daniel Copeland was in the first class of Hites Scholars — he received the award in 2011 as a student at Sierra College in California. He is currently a resident physician at the University of California (UC) Davis Medical Center, in his third year of the Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine Residency program.

“[Being named a Hites Scholar] was a great honor and recognition of the hard work and effort I have invested in my education and local community.

“[The scholarship] helped me to focus my time and energy on scholastic achievements and furthering my education. In turn, this helped me to graduate UC Davis with my undergrad degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and ultimately complete medical school at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.

“I wish to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Hites Family. The Hites Transfer Scholarship was such an incredible honor and a boost in my education right when I needed it most. Thank you again.”