Scholarships mean so much more to student recipients than the ability to pay tuition or keep the utilities on. Scholarships help fulfill dreams.

Third-year medical student Luis Espinosa earned a standing ovation at a USF Health event in February as he brought an audience of donors and scholarship recipients to tears with the touching story of his long road to medical school.

After being inspired by a young sickle-cell anemia patient during a volunteer experience, Espinosa chose to restart his community college career in pursuit of a career in medicine. Eleven years after earning his GED, he was accepted to the University of Florida. After earning his bachelor’s degree in 2015, he entered the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s MD program with a full-tuition scholarship.

“No greater honor could be bestowed upon an aspiring physician beyond acceptance into the profession,” said Espinosa, recalling the moment he first learned of his USF scholarship. “I sat speechless, knowing that USF believed strongly in my potential and giving greater meaning to my endeavors.”

This academic year, 259 USF Health students received scholarships and like Luis, each of them has an inspiring story.