The Rick and Sherry Murray Medical Futures Scholarship is for students who have or have had a close family member such as a spouse, parent or guardian, child or grandparent diagnosed with ALS and who want to pursue a degree in the medical profession as a result of their experience.
Scholarship Details
- Supports students whose family experiences with ALS have influenced their career goals
- Available to students pursuing medical, healthcare, social work, or related fields
- Open to students attending accredited colleges, universities, and vocational or technical schools in the United States
- Recognizes the impact of ALS on students and their educational aspirations
Eligibility Criteria
- Must have a close family member, such as a spouse, parent, guardian, child, or grandparent, who has been diagnosed with ALS
- Must be a legal resident of Florida
- Must be pursuing a medically related degree, social work degree, or medically related certification program
- Must attend or be accepted as a full-time student as defined by the educational institution
- Must attend an accredited two-year college, four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school in the United States
Application Process
- Complete the scholarship application in full
- Obtain an official academic transcript that includes all required academic information
- Write a 500-word essay describing how ALS has affected your life and influenced your decision to pursue a medical or social work career
- Request two letters of recommendation from qualified references
- Gather any additional documentation required by the application
- Submit the completed application and all supporting materials by mail or email according to program instructions
Rick and Sherry Murray met and were married in 1964. Upon his retirement, Rick and Sherry returned to Jacksonville, Florida, where they had served their first tour of duty nearly three decades earlier. Their active lifestyle of tennis and traveling was curtailed in 1999, after Rick received an ALS diagnosis and an estimated three more years to live. Rick nearly tripled that prognosis, and the couple found new ways to stay active during that time. Following Rick's passing, Sherry redoubled her community involvement and philanthropic efforts, especially focusing on spouses who lost their loved one to ALS.
