For the seventh year now, Sound Family Medicine has awarded scholarships to local high school students. All recipients are patients of Sound Family Medicine, and special consideration was given to those applicants planning to pursue a career in a healthcare-related field.

This year we have found five worthy high school seniors. Shaly Edman from Bonney Lake High School, Alexandra Schuster from Emerald Ridge High School, Jaynee Laky from Puyallup High School, Hannah Mayfield from Rogers High School, and Laci Smallwood from Cascade Christian Schools received scholarships at their high schools’ awards ceremonies. We attended these ceremonies in order to see the many special young adults, ready to go forth on their own as college freshmen this fall. Each scholarship recipient is an excellent student who is extremely involved in our community.

In addition to the local high school seniors that were selected, we also awarded two SFM employees, Bryce French and Lauren Heikes, with scholarships for continuing their education.

Shaly Edman will be attending Pierce Community College in the fall, and plans to obtain an associates degree in social services on her path towards becoming a psychologist. While attending Bonney Lake High School, Shaly was a member of the volleyball team, she volunteered for various activities through her church, and was a camp leader.

Alexandra Schuster will be attending the University of Washington in the fall, where she will double-major in biology and Spanish as she works toward her dream of becoming a doctor and serving patients around the globe. While attending Emerald Ridge High School, Alexandra was a member of the volleyball and track teams, she volunteered at her church and United Way, and this year she was the Jag Crew president and Daffodil Princess. Alexandra  says she doesn’t view volunteering as “giving” as much as she views it as “receiving” many priceless life experiences.

Jaynee Laky will be attending Pacific Lutheran University in the fall, where she will major in nursing as she works toward her dream of becoming a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit. While attending Puyallup High School, Jaynee was a member of the soccer and basketball teams, volunteered as a soccer coach and camp counselor, and was a member of HOSA, which promotes school and community service opportunities. Jaynee says that she went into her coaching experience expecting to do all the teaching, but was pleasantly surprised about the life lessons she learned from the players as well.

Hannah Mayfield will be attending Pierce Community College in the fall, where she plans to complete pre-requisites for the nursing program as she works toward her dream of becoming a nurse. While attending Rogers High School, Hannah was a member of the softball, basketball and golf teams, she participated in mentoring activities at her church, and volunteered as an assistant coach for the Ferrucci Junior High cross-country team. Hannah says she looks forward to a future filled with opportunities to become involved with humanitarian aid efforts worldwide.

Laci Smallwood will be attending Tacoma Community College in the fall, where she plans to complete the diagnostic medical sonography program as she works toward her dream of becoming an ultrasound technician. While attending Cascade Christian, Laci was a member of the basketball and soccer teams, she held several leadership positions including soccer and basketball captain and homecoming queen, and she volunteered as a referee for elementary school sports.

Bryce French is a Patient Services Coordinator at Sound Family Medicine and will be leaving SFM to attend school in Ohio this fall. He has already received a Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities & Social Sciences from Western Washington University, and will continue to work towards a medical degree in hopes of one day becoming a physician. Bryce is very involved in the community, and has experience working with special needs individuals. Once he becomes a physician, Bryce’s philosophy will be to express a deep level of caring for each individual, helping him or her to move past the diagnosis to an improvement in the quality of life.

Lauren Heikes is an Administrative Support Clerk at Sound Family Medicine. Lauren has completed pre-requisites at Pierce College and is currently enrolled in the Registered Nursing Program at Tacoma Community College, graduating in December of this year. Upon graduation, she will transfer to the University of Washington to complete her bachelor’s and master’s programs in nursing. Lauren is heavily involved in her community, participating in fundraising activities, including the campaign to build a YMCA in Sumner. Her dream is to work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, as she has a passion for working with children.

Please join us in congratulating these students on their achievements. We look forward to seeing how they will shape the future of their communities.