Where Are They Now? POST SCHOLARSHIP IMPACT
These days, the reality of a medical education is the significant cost associated with it. For Jason Bonslaver, MD, being a recipient of the Myrtle Siegfried, MD, and Michael Vigilante, MD, Scholarship helped to offset that financial burden.
“Trying to limit the number of student loans and financial debt was a major priority,” Dr. Bonslaver said.
Having graduated from New York Medical College in 2006, he is now a practicing urologist at YorkTowne Urology PC in York, Pennsylvania. He attended Penn State University as an undergraduate and started looking for scholarships for medical school, since most of his education was financed through loans, landing him the Myrtle Siegfried, MD, and Michael Vigilante, MD, Scholarship through The Foundation.
“I was grateful for the scholarship and glad it landed in my lap. Every little bit of financial support helps when you consider the duration of the debt and potential for it to grow based on interest,” he said.
Established in 1999, the Myrtle Siegfried, MD, and Michael Vigilante, MD Scholarship is awarded to a qualified first-year medical student residing in Berks, Lehigh, or Northampton County. The scholarship was made possible through a memorial contribution from Mrs. Elena Pascal, Foundation trustee, and her sister, Mrs. Carla Vigilante, in honor of their parents, Drs. Siegfried and Vigilante, who practiced medicine in Allentown for more than 50 years.
Dr. Bonslaver said, “I would strongly encourage students in training to continually reassess their potential debt and make sure they have a realistic plan to ultimately pay it off. Be frugal when possible and avoid unnecessary expenditures and take advantage of every financial support opportunity available to them.”
He added, “Then, when the day comes that they finally pay off their loans, remember to give back to the system and
help support future student doctors."