A Florida State University graduate in 2021 receives a coveted Marcus L. Urann Scholarship awarded to first-year PhD students seeking a post-graduate degree in any academic discipline.
Hannah Hetzel-Ebben completed her vocal studies at FSU in May and is now in the first year of her medical studies at Case Western Reserve University. The $ 20,000 scholarship is awarded by the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
Hetzel Ebben, originally from Lexington, Kentucky, said she was delighted with the award.
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity,” she said. “It is a honor.”
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is currently awarding six scholarships nationwide, valued at $ 20,000. Individual Phi Kappa Phi Chapters nominate a candidate from the local applicants for a Urann Scholarship.
Hetzel-Ebben, who wants to become an ear, nose and throat surgeon, said the scholarship funding will be used to pay for the cost of medical studies.
“Medical education is expensive and can be a limiting factor in deciding where to go to school,” she said. “This scholarship enabled me to go to the university where I would excel and support me the most. The financing of all the resources I need, such as school books and the like, would otherwise have had to come from a loan. “
She added, “I might not have been able to participate if I hadn’t received this scholarship.”
Hetzel-Ebben’s path – from singing as a major to studying medicine – is unique. She commended College of Music faculty and administrators for helping her find her way.
“I really have the feeling that the FSU has done everything in its power to support me on my wild path,” she said with a laugh. “You don’t see that many people are walking this route.”
During his time at FSU, Hetzel-Ebben was involved in numerous research projects, including research into short-term and working memory in second and third grade children and the muscle biophysics of the Florida carpenter ant.
