Members of a medical school class in Texas will have a lot less to worry about when they graduate this coming spring.
That’s because an anonymous family recently donated $1.8 million to the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at Texas Christian University to cover the class of 2026’s spring semester tuition, the school said in a news release.
Dr. Stuart D. Flynn, the school’s founding dean, shared the announcement in a Zoom call with the class.
“Rarely do I get to share such an amazing gift,” Flynn told the students. “Each of you is about to receive from an anonymous donor family. This family has agreed to pay your tuition for your last semester of medical school.”
”The donors hope that this alleviates some of the financial stress of being a medical student and allows you to make the best choices possible as you head into residency,” Flynn added.
According to the school, members of the class of 2026 are in the final phase of the Burnett School of Medicine’s Empathetic Scholar curriculum. The school noted that the students are currently in clinical rotations and preparing to interview for residence spots.
In a video posted by the Burnett School of Medicine, student Angela Abarquez said that the donation is more than just a boost to their self-esteem.
“It’s one thing to know that people are rooting for us and cheering us on,” she said. “But it’s a whole other thing to know that a family is giving their hard-earned money and investing in our futures and our careers.”
The scholarship surprised fourth-year medical student Cort Ewing, who said that the donation is “really inspiring,” according to the school’s release.
“I’m really grateful that we have people here to support us,” he added. “I can’t wait until I’m in a position one day to do that for the school and for future students.”
The “transformative gift” will help students focus on a medical specialty that “resonates” with them, he said in the press release. “It also is a valuable demonstration of paying it forward. It teaches our students the importance of giving back as they move forward in their careers.”
The provided $1.8 million is to used to pay for the spring semester tuition for the class of 2026
The dean of the school broke the good news to the students in a Zoom call
“It’s a whole other thing to know that a family is giving their hard-earned money and investing in our futures and our careers,” said one student.
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