DOWAGIAC — Volunteers who donate their time at Ascension Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital in Dowagiac are not only making a difference, but also helping to raise money for individuals to pursue futures in the medical field.

Recently, Kaitlyn Briney, Zabrina Durham and Amiyah Smith were selected as recipients of $650 scholarships from the Borgess-Lee Volunteers.  These scholarships are awarded for the three individuals to pursue educations in the medical field.

“We’ve been doing scholarships for at least 30 years or more,” said Teri Moore, president of the Borgess-Lee Volunteers. “We are really glad to support this for area students and people returning to school after they’ve started out in one career and want to go further. We are supporting that further career in the medical health fields.”

Smith, who completed a hospital internship at Ascension Borgess-Lee, was thankful to have been chosen by the Borgess-Lee Volunteer committee as a scholarship winner. 

“My mom is a physician assistant, so I grew up around the medical field,” Smith said. “She talks about a lot of it.”

Smith is a current freshman at Lake Michigan College, pursuing a degree in biology and chemistry towards a pre-med track.

“I’m in bio chemistry to go towards the nursing program, so I don’t have to do clinical rotations twice when I transfer to a four-year college,” Smith said.

Smith wants to transfer to Grand Canyon University in Arizona. Smith is originally from Arizona and moved to Dowagiac, after her mother got a job in the area. During her internship, Smith got to experience different areas of the hospital, but enjoyed working in the emergency room the most.

“It seemed like different people and the problems they bring to us were always unique,” Smith said.

The second scholarship winner, Katlyn Briney, previously volunteered at the hospital and is attending Grand Valley State University in hopes of becoming an ultrasound technician.

The third scholarship winner, Zabrina Durham, currently works at the hospital as an Ascension Borgess Medical Group associate and said she is grateful to have been chosen.

“I have three kids and a husband at home,” Durham said. “It’s really good to have somebody help me out to get through schooling.”

Originally, Durham wanted to study nursing, but instead decided to become a medical assistant in order to gain experience in the field before starting nursing school.

Durham plans to begin nursing classes at Southwestern Michigan College this spring. At Borgess-Lee, Durham works with orthopedics and would like to pursue a job as a registered nurse in the surgery department after she completes the nursing program.

Durham said it can be challenging to work full-time, go to school part-time and take care of her family, but she has something to prove.

“I’ve got to prove to my kids that it doesn’t matter what age you are, you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to,” Durham said.