HASC is pleased to award five scholarships through the 2026 Healthcare Scholarship Program.
The program was created with Communities Lifting Communities (CLC) to help reduce health disparities and strengthen community health across Southern California by supporting a more diverse and inclusive healthcare workforce.
By easing the financial burden of higher education, particularly for students from underrepresented communities, the scholarship program helps aspiring healthcare professionals pursue educational and career opportunities that will ultimately benefit the communities they serve.
After carefully reviewing all applications, HASC is excited to announce the following 2026 scholarship recipients:
Undergraduate Scholarships — $2,500
- Angelique Rivas, admissions and records technician, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
- Oscar Mendez, infection prevention coordinator, Corona Regional Medical Center
Graduate Scholarships — $3,000
- Chizzy Ibelegbu, registered nurse, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Erick Vargas, mental health worker, Las Encinas Hospital
- Bri Paxton, RN, new grad residency program clinical educator, MLK Community Healthcare
These scholarships are part of the legacy of CLC, whose work to advance health equity helped make this program possible. Though CLC isn’t currently active, the organization’s impact continues through the students and communities it helped support.
Congratulations to all five recipients on this well-deserved achievement. We are proud to support their educational journeys and look forward to the positive impact they will make in the communities they serve.
For any questions about the Healthcare Scholarship Program, please contact Soyinka Allen at [email protected].