Brittany Williams, Class of 2022, is the first Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine student to receive the Rachel Helen Silver Scholarship endowed to honor the life and legacy of Rachel Silver, a member of the Class of 2021, tragically lost in a car accident on July 2, 2018.
The scholarship is to be awarded to a second-year osteopathic medical student at the end of his/her second year who has clearly demonstrated a willingness and a passion to give back to their academic community as well as their local, regional and even national/international communities. Recipients are nominated by their classmates in hopes that the selection process will encourage all students to do their best academically and to strive to be the very best person they can be in order to make this world a better place.
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- Dean’s Scholarship Recipient
- Member of the Sigma Sigma Phi Honors Service Fraternity
- Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Teaching Assistant 2019-2020
- CUSOM Academic Center for Excellence Tutor and Peer Navigator
- Volunteer at the Campbell University Community Care Clinic and Quality Assurance Representative for 2019
- Pediatrics Club Secretary 2019 and Field Day volunteer
- Member of Emergency Medicine, SOSA, CMDA, and SAAO student organizations
- Wings Camp for Grieving Children and CUSOM SNMA HUMP Day volunteer
- Armenia Medical Mission trip participant
- Mentor for undergraduate students and MSBS students who are interested in pursuing careers in Osteopathic Medicine.
“Being selected for this scholarship means so much to me because it truly is my passion to use my experiences to help others,” said Williams. “My entire life, I have always appreciated and truly valued the selfless love from others that allowed me to reach where I am in life, and I have always devoted myself to making sure those around me felt just as loved, appreciated and helped.”
“Especially throughout medical school, times can get tough, and we all need people to lean on at times,” reflected Williams. “Receiving this scholarship truly means a lot – to know that during my two years at CUSOM, I have been able to make a difference in someone’s life.”
“Though I didn’t know Rachel, I am honored the committee saw my peer written application as an embodiment of who Rachel was and the legacy she would have wanted to leave. I plan to continue to live my life in a way that, not only helps others, but also honors students like Rachel who dedicated themselves to giving back to those around them. As future physicians, compassion is key. We all want to be able to make a difference in peoples’ lives, but that doesn’t mean we have to wait until we are physicians —we can do that each and every day with our family, friends and classmates because no one should ever have to go through difficult times alone.”
“We were delighted to learn the first Rachel Helen Silver Memorial Scholarship had been awarded,” said Rachel’s parents, Dr. and Mrs. Jon Silver of Asheville, NC.
“We received a very gracious and heartwarming letter from Brittany Williams, the first recipient. We are truly appreciative of her beautiful gesture which only serves to further verify our long-held belief that CUSOM is recruiting the best of the best.
Having long been part of the medical field, we knew the qualities required to receive the award would result in the selection of a recipient who clearly demonstrates the level of kindness and compassion that is so crucial to success in medicine. We can readily sense these traits in Brittany from just reading her very kind words to us and discovering some of her passions. We are thankful for this scholarship, how it serves as a way to keep our daughter’s memory alive at Campbell, and as a way for her to help her fellow students.”