Two Rockford-area graduates have been awarded $30,000 Global Scholarships from Rotary District 6420 to further their education abroad.
Kirsten “Kiki” Fisher, a recent Bradley University graduate from Roscoe, and Mohammad Salem, a Yale University graduate from Rockford, were selected for the awards, according to a community announcement.
Fisher, a Hononegah Community High School alumna, will use her scholarship to pursue a Master of Science in Forensic Medicine, Anthropology and Imaging at the University of Crete Medical School in Greece. She plans to start her studies in October.
Salem, a Rockford Auburn High School graduate, will pursue a Master of Science in Health System Evaluation and Improvement at the University of Oxford in England, also beginning in October.
The two scholars were chosen from a pool of applicants from Rotary District 6420, which comprises 48 Rotary organizations across northwestern Illinois. The selection criteria included high academic achievement, a commitment to the Rotary mission of “Service Above Self” and the potential to serve as global ambassadors for Rotary International.
Laura Davis, a past Moline Rotary Club president and chair of the selection committee, expressed excitement about introducing the two scholars.
“Our committee was incredibly impressed by each of these applicants, their commitment to enhancing their knowledge and career preparation through unique and challenging international graduate programs, and especially by their passion for taking their knowledge into the world in service to humankind,” Davis said in the announcement.
Fisher, the daughter of Erin Fisher of Roscoe and Christopher Fisher of South Beloit, earned her Bachelor of Science degrees in Biomedical Science with a Pre-Medicine concentration and Interdisciplinary Studies concentrating in Physical Anthropology. She previously studied at Rock Valley College in Rockford and Eastern Iowa Community College in Clinton, Iowa.
Fisher plans to pursue a medical degree in the United States after completing her master’s studies in Greece. Her interest in forensic medicine was sparked by an internship at the Allen County Coroner’s Office in Indiana, where she helped locate the family of a deceased Cuban immigrant.
Fisher is particularly interested in the global applications of forensic anthropology as a tool for seeking justice and advancing post-conflict resolution and peace-building.
Salem, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Salem of Rockford, earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Yale University in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, along with a certificate in Global Health Studies.
His global health capstone at Yale, published in collaboration with Anurita Bains, Associate Director for HIV/AIDS at UNICEF, served as a policy brief on financing the HIV/AIDS response in Sub-Saharan Africa. The brief emphasized the need for governments to reduce their reliance on funding from the Global North and strengthen their local health systems.
Salem plans to pursue a career in public health and policy, with a long-term goal of advancing public health initiatives at the World Health Organization.
According to the announcement, the introduction of Fisher and Salem to the local media was scheduled for Sept. 18 at Veterans Memorial Hall in Rockford, with Davis joined by 2025-2026 District 6420 Governor Melissa McCormick.
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