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Ian Phillips Scholarship Delivers Immediate Impact for Six Students

Thanks to his generous support of scholarships, Norris Professor of Applied Life Sciences Ian Phillips just made graduate school more financially attainable for six recipients working toward their Master of Science (MS) in Applied Life Sciences degrees at Keck Graduate Institute (KGI).

“The MS program has grown and evolved into a major graduate research and professional program at KGI,” Phillips says. “Now it needs scholarships and I hope my gift will kickstart more financial support for outstanding MS students.”

Among the criteria to be selected as a scholarship recipient, students needed to be second-year MS students who go above and beyond in their academic performance and general contributions to the KGI community.

“I am very appreciative for the generosity of Professor Ian Philips,” says Raeven Chung, one of the scholarship recipients. “This lightens the financial burden that comes along with attending graduate school. Before this scholarship, I had to work multiple part-time jobs, but now, this scholarship has allowed me to decrease the amount of time I work.

“Rather than worry about finances and work, I can dedicate more time and energy into my coursework and my career aspirations!”

Similarly to Chung, another scholarship recipient—Nickie Toloueenia—plans on attending medical school after finishing the MS degree at KGI.

“It means the world to me to be recognized for my achievements,” Toloueenia says, “and it is truly inspiring to see the impact hard work can have. Being a scholarship recipient is an honor that encourages me to keep pushing forward.” 

Phillips has served as a faculty member at KGI since 2006. He is the director of the Center for Rare Disease Therapies and the faculty director of the Postbac Premedical Certificate (PPC) program.

“There are so many ways to support students at KGI,” says KGI Assistant Vice President of Institutional Development Molly Chestnut. “When Dr. Phillips heard that MS students needed scholarship support, he agreed to redirect an existing pledge originally intended to bring guest lecturers to campus. It’s a prime example of thinking creatively to help students. We are grateful for his continued support!”