Jess Parrish Medical Foundation Awards 28 Scholarships to Aspiring Healthcare Professionals

TITUSVILLE, FLA. (May 21, 2025)—Jess Parrish Medical Foundation (JPMF) proudly awarded $32,500 in scholarships to 28 exceptional college students and graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated a strong commitment to their communities and a passion for pursuing careers in medicine and healthcare.

Dedicated to supporting future generations of healthcare professionals, Brevard Indo-American Medical and Dental Association (BIMDA) Scholarship in honor of Ashok C. Shah and Glad Kurian, committed funds through 2034 allowing for two additional $1,250 scholarships to be awarded annually.

“BIMDA is honored to partner with Jess Parrish Medical Foundation in supporting the educational endeavors of our future healthcare professionals,” said Glad Kurian, Honorary Executive Director of Brevard Indo-American Medical and Dental Association (BIMDA). “It is gratifying to know that BIMDA’s contributions to the scholarship program are assisting the award recipients in pursuing their educational and career goals.”

This year’s scholarship winners include eight graduating seniors from Astronaut High School: Shelby Ferguson, Alana Gibbons, Avalon Lamb, Payton McGuire, Grayce Meredith, Ashvi Patel, Katlyn Taylor and Abigail Vass. It also includes two graduating seniors from Edgewood Jr./Sr. High School: Anshi Patel and Jamaris White. As well as five honorees from Titusville High School: Kodee Bors, Brayden Hunt, Alison Loyd, Kaelyn Murrill and Brooke Voorhees.

College students who were awarded scholarships for their academic achievements include: Allie Glass of Daytona State College, Kayla Walsh from Eastern Florida State College, Isabelle Donahoe and Samantha Donohoe from Florida Institute of Technology, Alexis Mills and Kalyn Rubio from Florida State University, Sadhna Seth from Nova Southeastern University, Sydney Van Horn from Southeastern University, Taylor Rendina from the University of Bridgeport, Violet Dobbs and Jadyn Gillingham from the University of Central Florida, Samantha Fisher from the University of Florida and Alyssa Schneerer from Valencia College.

“This year’s scholarship recipients were impressive, and we look to them to drive the next wave of innovation in healthcare,” said Melissa Lugo, Chairman of Jess Parrish Medical Foundation Board of Directors. “The Foundation is proud to support the educational endeavors of these talented and deserving students.”

Scholarship committee co-chairs Barbara Terhune and Philip Simpson, PhD led the committee through the process of evaluating applicants in the areas of academic performance, awards and honors, extracurricular activities, leadership, community service and work experience, recommendation letters, application essay and Parrish Healthcare/JPMF affiliation.

Scholarship committee members include: Santi Bulnes; Herman Cole; Deborah Cox; Britt Diaz; Terry Lee; Josh Norris; Kevat B. Patel, MD; Howard Rinker, DDS; Barbara Terhune; Natalie Sellers; Philip Simpson, PhD and Jennifer Trastelis.

Jess Parrish Medical Foundation proudly invests in the future by offering medical scholarships to residents of North Brevard County who are pursuing careers in healthcare, with the goal of nurturing the next generation of professionals who will one day contribute to the healing of our community. Since 1990, more than $569,000 in scholarship funds have been awarded by the Jess Parrish Medical Foundation to support the educational pursuits of deserving students.

To learn more about these scholarships, or Jess Parrish Medical Foundations, please call (321) 269-4066 or visit, parrishmedfoundation.com/scholarships.