HAMILTON — Becoming part of Montana's next generation of medical professionals can be a pricey endeavor.
That's why Bitterroot Health offers $4,000 yearly to someone pursuing further education in the medical field.
"I really wanted to help people," 2025 scholarship recipient Makena Hawkinson said.
Hawkinson found a passion for medicine while growing up with a sick parent.
"My father had brain cancer. Ever since then, I've just been really interested in the medical field," Hawkinson told MTN.
Now, she's in her third year studying sonography online through Boise State University.
She's also working at Bitterroot Health to gain experience and cover some of the cost of college, but she needed an extra boost.
"I was really in need for just something. I was praying to God. I need help so bad," Hawkinson said.
That's when she got an email about an opportunity.
"My high school counselor Kurt Kohn through Darby High School. He emailed me saying, 'Hey, just so you know, your work is doing this scholarship for people like you,'" Hawkinson explained.
Hawkinson later received 2025's Bitterroot Health Medical Staff Scholarship, getting $4,000 to help with schooling costs.
"The medical staff and the organization here at Bitterroot Health really care about the local community and making sure that we allow those students an opportunity to succeed," Bitterroot Health Chief of Medical Staff Dr. Jackson Shaver detailed.
Anyone who's graduated from a Ravalli County High School and has completed one year of health education can apply by June 30, 2026.
"It's really rewarding to see how much it helps them in their career paths and helps relieve some of the stress that they're going through, just being able to afford the education," Shaver added.
For Hawkinson, staying in the Bitterroot Valley to pursue a career is the goal. Now, with the scholarship's help, she's doing it on her terms.
"Everybody told me, you know, if you want to do sonography, you have to move out of state. There's no way you're going to be able to accomplish it here. And I didn't listen to them. There's always a possibility. So don't let people tell you, you can't," she stated.
To learn how to apply for this year's scholarship, click here.
