A Health Careers Scholarship bolsters Emily’s dream to become a third generation nurse.
From the day she was born at Lake West Medical Center in 2003, Emily Kaseda’s life has been surrounded by selfless nurses. Her mom, Janet Kaseda, RN, grandmother, Harriet Kropf, RN, and aunt, Cathy Witte, RN, together have provided 58 years of ICU, hospice and general nursing care at Lake Health. Now Emily wants to be a third generation nurse.
Third generation nurse
Over the years, Emily was captivated when her mom, a nurse with 25 years at Lake Health, shared stories of healing, innovations and compassion. So it wasn’t a surprise that, when considering a health career, Emily enrolled in a high school anatomy class. She was fascinated with the class and in learning about the body. That’s when she realized she wanted to follow in her mom’s footsteps.
“My mom and grandma have always told me that there is no more rewarding feeling than nurturing patients back to health,” says Emily. “But my respect for nurses actually heightened in 2017. Instead of letting my grandpa simply succumb to pancreatic cancer, his nurses reassured him and our family that he was in safe hands and that he was not alone. I’d like to provide that type of comfort to hurting families in my future.”
A 2021 Kirtland High School graduate, Emily applied for the Health Careers Scholarship during her senior year and will pursue her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at Walsh University. Her best friend and fellow Kirtland High graduate, Emma Ulrich, also received a scholarship and will study Pharmacy at the University of Toledo.
“Emily came running to tell me that she was awarded the scholarship and was so happy!” says Janet Kaseda. “It’s a lot of money and we’re just so thankful that Lake Health selected her!”
Health careers scholarships
In 2013, Lake Health began providing $1,000 scholarships to Lake County high school seniors pursuing health-related careers. Three student scholarships are available for larger high schools and two for smaller schools. The scholarship application requires personal information and a one-page essay on the student’s career goals, including why they chose their health science field. Recipients are chosen by a committee based on grades, community service, leadership and their reasons for pursuing a health career.
“I want to thank Lake Health for this generous scholarship affording me an amazing opportunity!” Emily says. “It would mean a lot to have a future caring for my own community at Lake Health just like my mom, aunt and grandma.”
Emily’s main career goal is to make a difference in patients’ and their family’s lives. She has dreams of becoming a labor and delivery nurse, welcoming new life into the world. But no matter where she ends up, she wants to give patients and families a sense of comfort.
