In addition to a six-figure price tag, medical education comes with a heavy mental and emotional load, rife with self-doubt, high stress, and countless hours of grueling study.
But by investing in them with $1,000 scholarships, students from University of Texas (UT) System medical schools say the Krishna Memorial Scholarship, and by extension the Texas Medical Association, has affirmed their abilities and important role to Texas’ medical future.
The Krishna Memorial Scholarship, funded by the TMA Special Funds Foundation, is a one-time award given to a second- through fourth-year student at each of the seven medical schools in the UT system based on ability, scholarship, and medical aptitude, plus financial need.
Approaching the final stages of her medical education, Katherine Leskin Danko, a third-year student at UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine, says the scholarship gives a boost that goes beyond financial impact.
“My medical school journey has often felt more like I’ve been surviving than thriving,” she wrote to TMA upon receiving the scholarship. “To me, this award represents a vote of confidence in my abilities and affirmation that I belong here. It is a welcome morale boost to help me carry on through the next (last!) year of my medical education and achieve employment as a resident.”
Receiving TMA’s support emphasizes the communal, collaborative nature of medicine, according to Daniela Ramos, a second-year student at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine.
For Ms. Ramos, the scholarship sets an example of “leading with integrity and compassion.”
“It is inspiring, as a second-year medical student, to feel the support of the Texas Medical Association and our community through the Krishna Memorial Scholarship,” she wrote to TMA. “Receiving this scholarship is a reminder to me that medicine is not learned in a vacuum, but that it is a community effort."
Also among the seven recipients of the Krishna Memorial Scholarship for 2025 are:
- Dakhil Alim, third-year student at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth;
- Leah McAleer, third-year student at UT Southwestern Medical School;
- Gabrielle Le, fourth-year student at The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School;
- Grace DeAlessandro, second-year student at The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine; and
- William “Taylor” Davis, fourth-year student at UTMB John Sealy School of Medicine.
Learn more about TMA’s work with scholarships and financial aid. TMA also offers low-interest medical student loans.