Entering her second year at
Virginia Commonwealth University, undergraduate Alex Sherwood
already boasts a résumé rivaling that of
a graduate student. The Richmond native graduated from
the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School with enough
credits to earn second-semester sophomore status. Work
in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Mary’s
Hospital, experience with the Lakeside Volunteer Rescue
Squad and a mentorship in a motion analysis laboratory
filled her time outside of the high school classroom.
The Dianne Nunnally Hoppes scholarship and the only accredited
undergraduate biomedical engineering major in the state
led her to VCU. Established by the Moses Nunnally Trust
in honor of his daughter Dianne, a VCU alumna, the Hoppes
scholarship provides in-state tuition, fees, room, board
and books. The scholarship fund was created to attract
and support the best and brightest incoming freshmen at
VCU.
“The Hoppes scholarship has allowed me to focus
on my schoolwork and pursue the opportunities that I find
the most interesting and rewarding, instead of working
to make ends meet,” Sherwood says.
This summer Sherwood was a part of the first aid staff
at Kings Dominion. At VCU, she has found her niche working
with Dr. Kevin Ward on Operation Purple Heart — a
special effort within VCU’s Reanimation Engineering
Shock Center, which focuses its discoveries and technologies
on the specific setting of wounded military personnel.
“Alex is a perfect example of the kind of individuals
we will need in the future to make the biggest biomedical
breakthroughs for our patients,” comments Dr. Ward. “Her
work with us in the VCURES Operation Purple Heart program
in the area of hemorrhage control has clearly demonstrated
the great potential for undergraduate students to combine
their backgrounds and interests in making a difference
even at such an early stage in their college education.
The synergy created between the Monroe Park and Medical
Campuses of VCU is really powerful. The work Alex is doing
may save lives in the near future.”
Continuing to add to her impressive résumé,
Sherwood hopes to build on her research work with VCURES,
complete classes for a second major and remain active as
a squad leader at the Lakeside Volunteer Rescue Squad.
“I am honored to be the recipient of such a prestigious
award,” she said. “I can’t thank the Nunnally
family enough for their generosity.”
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