SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – A University of South Dakota medical student received a very welcomed surprise from Sanford Health on Tuesday.
Sanford is awarding Military and Veteran Scholarships to four students this year. The scholarships are given to current active or retired military service members who are pursuing a degree in a healthcare field. The $5,000 scholarships are selected by a committee that picks four to five winners each year.
One of the four scholarships was awarded on Tuesday to Jessica Linke. Linke is a member of the South Dakota National Guard.
“It was such a wonderful surprise that everybody who clearly cares about me put together, so it was very kind of them to put this together for me. I feel very honored to be awarded this scholarship,” said Linke.
Linke grew up in central Minnesota and went to SDSU for her undergraduate degree. Now, she’s a fourth-year medical student at USD and has a passion for rural healthcare. She lived in Mobridge as part of a rural medicine program.
“Seeing rural medicine as it is out in South Dakota and seeing how amazing the people are out there that can take care of so many people that have no other access to care is truly an amazing experience,” said Linke.
Linke’s passion for rural medicine is one of the many reasons she was chosen for Sanford’s Military and Veteran Scholarship.
“It’s amazing. We’ve been excited about it. We have a great team that works hard to put this all together and then we get the chance to surprise fellow veterans and let them know that we’re thinking about them and that we care about them and that we’re here to help them with their pursuit toward their goals,” said Mike Dishman, Sanford Health Senior Director of Learning Development.
Linke plans to practice family medicine after residency training.
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