SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT RONNYE RUTLEDGE
“Somewhere between rafting on the Potomac River with the Olympic crew team and walking the cobblestone streets of Paris after presenting my independent research at the Pasteur Institute, I came to realize that Jack Kent Cooke is far more than a scholarship foundation.”
Ronnye Rutledge resides in Fort Wayne and attends Canterbury High School. At the age of 18 her plans are to attend Harvard University with a four-year degree in biomedicine.
Highlights of this Young Scholar’s Experience: Ronnye has explored her passion for medicine as a Young Scholar. Through the Advanced Mentorship Program, she worked on a biomedical project under the mentorship of a University of Pittsburgh professor and presented the research at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. She also studied physics at Northwestern University and gained clinical experience through many hours working in a nursing home to become a Certified Nurses Aide.
Ronnye’s awe and wonder at the world of medicine began at an early age. “Some of the first and most poignant moments in my life have been spent in hospitals.” As she grew older, dreaming of a life in medicine, she grew increasingly aware of an obstacle in her path: the stereotype of the minority child. “Because I attended a predominately white school in the suburbs, I had to prove to my classmates and teachers that race has nothing to do with academic aptitude.” Determined to succeed, Ronnye distinguished herself as an exemplary scholar.
“The first time that I ever stepped into the National Institute of Health was the day I knew that I wanted to become a doctor. I was very young, probably only six years old, but I remember being filled with awe as I watched the doctors and nurses gliding across the floors of this institution. I was drawn to the medical field at that moment because I wanted one day to become one of them, one of those educated and warm individuals whose purpose in life was to help those in the healing process.”
Ronnye plans to pursue her career in the medical field. She has volunteered as a construction cleanup crew member at the Fort Wayne Christian Center and has tutored elementary school students in math and English. Ronnye placed third in the nation in poetry interpretation at the National Forensic League Competition. She is an AP Scholar with Honors, National Merit Scholarship Commended Student and National Achievement Scholar. She is also President of her school speech team, and a nationally ranked speech competitor. She is the Editor of her school newspaper. Congratulations Ronnye!
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