ROCHELLE — Recipients of the 2020 Rochelle Community Hospital Auxiliary $1,000 healthcare scholarships have been announced. Six students received scholarships which included the Ward A. and Mabel T. Miller Award and the Judith Stavrakas Memorial Scholarship. 

Unfortunately, the annual RCH Auxiliary Volunteer-Scholarship Brunch scheduled for April 13 was canceled due to COVID-19.

Congratulations to all of the recipients. This year’s recipients include:

Shrimplin

Callie Shrimplin is the recipient of the Ward A. & Mabel T. Miller Award. 

Shrimplin will graduate from Ashton-Franklin Center High School with plans to attend Sauk Valley Community College this fall to pursue a radiology technologist degree.  

Mrs. Toole, her English instructor shared, “Callie is a hard-working, intelligent, ethical young woman who exhibits a serious approach to her studies in order to achieve her long-term goals.” 

She has discovered a passion for helping others from her experience working as a CNA at Franklin Grove Living and Rehabilitation. 

Her intern studies at CGH Hospital specifically in the Nuclear Medicine Department have inspired her career choice in Radiology with a focus on Nuclear Medicine.

Molina

Ilse Molina is the recipient of the Judith Stavrakas Memorial Scholarship.

Molina is currently a senior at Rochelle Township High School and will be attending Kishwaukee College in the fall.  

She has been a Gold Plus member of the RTHS Renaissance program, on high honor roll all four years and a member of the National Honor Society her senior year. According to her social studies teacher, Mrs. Strietelmeier, “Ilse constantly challenges herself academically and socially.  She exemplifies leadership and composure in the classroom and community.”  

Molina has been inspired to be a nurse from helping her parent’s at their doctor’s appointments as she always translated for them.  Her goal is to be a nurse who patients can trust and feel comfortable talking with.

Brown

Kaylee Ann Brown is a senior at RTHS and will attend Bradley University this fall.  

She is going to be pursuing a career as a pediatric dermatologist.

She has discovered through her own rare skin disease that she has a passion to help others like her doctors have helped her.  She has been very involved throughout her high school career and she has earned National Honor Society, All Conference Academics and Rotary Leadership Camp her junior year.

Her science teacher, Mr. Thompson stated, “Kaylee is the type of person who is concerned about people and takes opinions of others to heart.  She has the tremendous quality of truly being a lifelong learner.” 

Flanagan

Sean Flanagan has plans to graduate from RTHS and then attend the University of Iowa this fall.  His goal is to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and then go to medical school to become an emergency medicine physician.  

As a lifeguard, he has learned many different emergency medical procedures and Sean has found he has an aptitude for quick thinking.  

According to Sean’s chemistry teacher, Mr. Campbell, “Sean stands out amongst his peers in his demonstrated respect for faculty and his willingness to help his fellow students.  He is a role model for all students at Rochelle.”

Monroe

Tristan Monroe plans to attend Sauk Valley Community College to obtain her associates degree.  

She then will transfer to Northern Illinois University to pursue a pediatric speech-language pathologist degree.   

She has a strong background of participation at Ashton Franklin Center High School being involved in sports, a class officer and National Honor Society.  Tristan participated in the dual credit program through Sauk, completing classes in medical terminology, pharmacology and becoming a CNA.  Liz Austin, RN, Tristan’s Allied Health instructor, shared, “Tristan impressed me greatly with her focus and determination.  She showed great interest in the course work and her passion for the healthcare field is evident.”

Villarreal

Elizabeth Villarreal is set to graduate this May from Oregon High School. 

She is part of the National Honor Society, Senior of Distinction and involved in marching band, golf, bowling plus poetry slam. 

She plans to attend the University of Illinois at Chicago to become a neurosurgeon and help people with their medical impairments.  

Struggling with her own autoimmune disease, she realized that specialists are important to the medical world and sometimes there are not enough. 

She said the nervous system is fascinating and her passion is to help others with unfortunate disabilities.  

Ms. Leamanczyk her English teacher shared, “Elizabeth’s dedication, creativity, and allegiance to serve others are all superior traits to possess in any student.”