WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Jean Joseph Rendel was born in Haiti. He came to the U.S. when he was five years old. His dream job was to be a nurse.
"So I'll have the masters next year and then the year after that I will be do the doctorate," he says. "I'm planning to be a nurse practitioner, I'm doing my doctorate. My short term goal is to open a clinic here in Palm Beach County, preferably in the underserved areas."
Jean Joseph is well on his way in the medical field. The Palm Health Foundation is awarding dozens of scholarships. He is one of the recipients. It's at a time when nurses are in high demand. The COVID-19 pandemic putting even more of a strain on the medical profession.
Carrie Browne is the Director of Stewardship and Strategic Partnerships for Palm Health Foundation. "We are going to need them in the future years. So we want them to graduate and make it as easy for them as possible," she said.
Since 2001, the organization has awarded hundreds of scholarships to nursing students, whether just starting or continuing their education. But now there's more of a need. This year the amount of the scholarships is higher. "This year we awarded 41 scholarships which is over $440,000," Browne said. "We are excited to be a part of increasing the nursing capacity in Palm Beach County."
Jean Joseph says he wants to help pave the way for those who want to be nurses as well, "One day I want to get in contact with the people who are donors to see what more I can do to help the people coming in under me. So when I'm done I want to be able to be a donor myself. Because it's been so good for me I want to pay it forward."
For information visit Palm Health Foundation's website.