We are proud to announce the recipients of the 2020 Gunther and Lee Weigel Medical School Scholarship—Afeera Chaudhry, Dennis Youngs, Eric Xia, Iemaan Rana, Kevin Glover, Nicholas Balardi, Olivia Fuson and Victoria Cegielski. These eight Elks scholars will be achieving their dreams of becoming doctors thanks to the generosity of the late Mrs. Lee Weigel. Each scholar will receive $26,000 for medical school.

The Weigel scholars shared stories—each one different—of why they aspire to enter the medical field. Dennis Youngs, an Emergency Education Grant recipient and a member of Penn Yan, N.Y., Lodge No. 1722, dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon, much like the one who saved his father’s life. He will continue his education at SUNY Upstate Medical University in the fall.

“The love and dedication from the Elks organization from my local Lodge to the national level has allowed me to pursue my dreams of becoming a clinician and provided hope to those of us struggling due to financial situations,” remarks Youngs. “Not only do the Elks provide scholarships, but they have provided me the support and encouragement to never give up on my dreams! I hope when I am a physician I can create a scholarship fund like this one to help more students achieve their dreams. I am so proud to be an Elk, and thank you for this scholarship.”

Over the course of the next few months, we’ll showcase each scholar. Stay tuned!

The Gunther & Lee Weigel Medical School Scholarships are $26,000 scholarships offered to Elks scholars (current or alum) entering their first year of medical school. The scholarship was established through the generosity of the late Lee Weigel, widow of Gunther Weigel. Learn more here.