UPMC Chautauqua School of Radiology second-year students Emily Zamborik, left, and Tracey Perry are shown holding their Vincent Messina Memorial Scholarship awards following the graduation of the school’s Class of 2020. Submitted photo

Graduation, as a rite of passage, has been changed throughout the land, including at the UPMC Chautauqua School of Radiology.

The COVID-19 version of pomp and circumstance, non-existent well-wishers and celebration following the 2020 graduation was of little concern to the ushers from the 2021 graduating class of the school. It was the last announcement of the evening that was of greatest importance to them – the Vincent Messina Scholarship to be awarded.

On behalf of Kathy Messina, staff announced Tracey Perry and Emily Zamborik, second-year students in the UPMC Chautauqua School of Radiology, were each being honored with a $2,000 tuition assistance scholarship by the family of the late Vincent Messina. The memorial scholarship was created to assist students in the second half of the 18-month school.

Messina was an alum of the school’s first graduating class. His career in radiologic technology concluded at WCA Hospital after 30 years of employment there. His untimely death, soon after his retirement, resulted in the creation of the Vincent Messina Memorial Scholarship and a golf tournament in his name. It created the perpetual endowment that produces $4,000 in scholarships annually.

The students’ academic record and their clinical application determine capability. Self-accountability for actions, information and ability, reflect responsibility through their citizenship within the school and hospital settings. A perception of need and the student’s dedication to the field of radiology are all considered in the evaluation process for the Vincent Messina scholarships.

Scholarships such as the Vincent Messina Memorial Scholarship are given to students and employees of UPMC Chautauqua for their on-going education. In addition, grants from the remaining 44 funds held at WCA Foundation support equipment and program services including cancer treatment, cardiology, dialysis, maternity, adolescent and adult mental health, pediatrics, radiology, speech and hearing, surgery and specialized needs throughout the hospital. WCA Foundation has given $ 615,874 in grants and scholarships generated from the perpetual endowments and the foundation’s pass-through funds to UPMC Chautauqua in 2020 to help serve the healthcare needs of this region.