Thirteen medical students at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine recently were awarded scholarships for 2025-26.
The school announced the scholarship recipients in December.
Donations to OUWB directly funded every scholarship, each worth $10,000. (See box for a list of 12 of the scholarship recipients.)
Students like M4 Amy Lin said they were grateful and that the recognition is meaningful. Lin was one of two to receive The OUWB Scholarship.
“This scholarship recognizes the journey that brought me here,” said Lin. “I came to the United States from Taiwan to pursue medical school without my family by my side. This recognition is deeply meaningful because it reassures me that the challenges and sacrifices along the way have been worthwhile and motivates me to continue striving as I prepare to enter residency.”
M4 Christian Santiago received The Drs. Neelam and Narayan Verma Endowed Scholarship for Neurosciences.
“Receiving (the scholarship) is deeply meaningful to me beyond the financial support,” he said. “It feels like a personal vote of confidence in my decision to pursue neurology and in the way I strive to care for patients. As I prepare to begin neurology residency, this recognition … is both humbling and motivating.”
The scholarship application process for M2s, M3s, and M4s begins in early September. (M1s are on a different timeline that starts in January.)
Students apply by answering several questions related to merit, service, and other principles that reflect OUWB’s mission, vision, and values, according to Gregory Ashe, associate director, Financial Services.
The questions are developed by the OUWB Scholarship Committee that consists of a group of unnamed faculty members. Those same committee members then evaluate all responses with the names of the students hidden.
In early December, scholarship recipients are notified.
“It’s important to acknowledge those students who are high performing throughout their time at OUWB, and to honor them with these scholarships,” said Ashe. “Also, it helps them reduce debt, which makes it easier for them after they graduate.”
According to Claus Weimann, director of Philanthropy, the average debt for OUWB graduates has decreased about 17% over the last five years. That’s due in large part to donors who make the scholarships possible for students like M4 Ava Harvey. She was one of two students to receive The W.J. and Lillian Kemler Scholarship.
“Not only does this scholarship ease the financial burden of medical school, but it also allows me to focus more fully on my clinical training, education, and service work,” she said.
“As I prepare to pursue a career in pediatrics, it gives me the freedom to invest my energy into becoming the best physician and advocate I can be for children and their families — both inside and outside the hospital,” she added. “That support is invaluable as I move toward residency and a lifelong career in caring for kids.”
Weimann said donors are essentially putting their trust in OUWB and students like Harvey.
“The donors don’t just give money,” he said. “They really invest in our students and they’re shaping the kind of physicians our community will have for decades to come.”
“They model the values we hope to instill in our students — compassion, responsibility, and service,” he added.
And it’s especially meaningful to students like M3 Audrey Lam. She received the Pinnamaneni Family and Friends Scholarship and said she was “incredibly grateful.”
“When I learned the news, I teared up and celebrated with my family,” she said. “My parents and grandparents came to America as refugees from Vietnam, so to imagine this moment is deeply meaningful.”
Lam said her extracurricular involvement “has been driven by a commitment to promoting equitable medicine for people like my family.”
“It is profoundly affirming to be supported by an institution that shares these same values,” she said. “This scholarship empowers the work I do as I continue to advocate for underrepresented communities.”
For more information, contact Andrew Dietderich, senior marketing specialist, OUWB, at [email protected].
To request an interview, visit the OUWB Communications & Marketing webpage.
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