WINNER OF THE 2020 “CHAI X 66 SCHOLARSHIP AWARD”
Atlanta, Georgia – Tobin Injury Law takes great pleasure in announcing the recipient of the Chai x 66 Scholarship Award for 2020: Phillip A. Korth. Phillip graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and is now enrolled in the Albert Einstein College of Medicine as a medical student, Class of 2024.
Who applied?
We received well over 500 applications from around the world.
Applicants came from colleges and graduate schools from across the oceans. Domestically, we heard from people in almost every state. One college that stood out for having the most applicants was Arizona State University. Perhaps it was a financial counselor, but someone at ASU really got the word out about the scholarship!
Applicants ranged in age from 17 to 54 years and included not only students who were entering their first year of college, but those who were completing their last year of their PhD programs.
Colleges ranged from 2-year local community colleges to graduate schools at Harvard University.
One attribute that most applicants shared was their desire to give back to their communities. And that is precisely why our personal injury law firm decided to create this scholarship: we recognize the importance of doing our share to give to the community and helping students afford higher education is one way of doing that.
From our winner’s essay:
“Chai means life, but to me, it also represents family and community. In my beginning, there almost wasn’t life.” Phillip’s mother was taken to the hospital emergency room with kidney stone pain the night before Phillip’s birth. Due to a four-day delay in the diagnosis and treatment of his mother’s obstructed kidney stone, his mother almost died and now lives with residual lung and brain injuries. “After remaining as a hospital ‘boarder’ for one month (because of medical issues), I joined my older sister and brother at my grandparents’ home where they had been living since my first month. Finally, our father retrieved our mother from a rehabilitation facility, picked us up from our grandparents, and returned us to our own home…but he then abandoned our family before I turned two.”
Since Phillip’s father was not part of his upbringing, Phillip’s mom felt it was important for Phillip to have strong male role models. She encouraged him to join both a Cub Scouts pack and Boy Scouts troop. Phillip advanced until he achieved the highest rank of Eagle Scout.
Phillip shared with us, “I want to become an empathetic and skillful physician who is also a mensch, so I can help others going through a tough time as they struggle with acute illness, chronic disease, or efforts to maintain health and wellness. In medical school, I will care for patients during rotations and I will serve the local community by volunteering in free clinics. In addition to preparing me to care for my future patients, my medical education will enable me to help others by providing me with opportunities to perform innovative research and to teach future pre-medical or medical students. Since the scouting community has been a vital part of my life, and still is since I am now an Assistant Scoutmaster in my Boy Scouts Troop 3036, I also plan to use my medical education to become a merit badge counselor for medically-related badges so I can be a physician role model for scouts as several of my scout leaders have been for me.”
We are very pleased to congratulate Phillip Korth, the recipient of our firm’s 2020 Chai x 66 Scholarship!
We were amazed by what people expressed the word “Chai” meant to them. Here are some of the responses we received.
“Chai means constant growth, collaboration, new beginning, change, opportunity, no boundaries, adventure, embodies the attitude of gratitude, chai means how can I be of service to my community?”
“Chai inspires us to see and seek the best in our families, friends, and communities.”
“Chai means connection to our surroundings and under God’s word, all living things that inhabit the Earth.”
“The Hebrew word Chai means life. Life is a gift. Life is a Rollercoaster. Life has a lot of ups and downs. But, in the end, life is beautiful.”
“Knowing about Chai has made me want to try to implement it in my own life and get the message around.”
“The best part about Chai is the fact that anyone can interpret it the way they want to. I love life and I love people.”
“Chai is a flavored tea originating from the Indian subcontinent of Masala and is made by brewing black tea with various spices and herbs.”
Our applicants wrote about their chosen career paths and how they spend their spare time. They will make this great nation, greater. Here are some of the responses we received.
“At the end of my first semester in college, I attended a mission trip to Nogales, a border town in Mexico serving at a local shelter for migrants and children.”
“I spent last summer in Ecuador, building a school for underprivileged children.”
“I became a combat medic in the Search and Rescue Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).”
“I worked with IsraAID in Mexico to develop a curriculum for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).”
“I joined a group of FEMA employees and Red Cross workers to draft the federal funding request to submit to Congress to rebuild the U.S. territory and restore the lives of its 100,000 residents following Hurricanes Irma and Maria.”
“I volunteered and earned SSL hours by helping in my mother’s classroom or other classrooms in the school.”
“I worked a juvenile behavioral health treatment center with at-risk children ages five through twenty-one.”
“I went to Haiti with an organization called Poured out to help provide clean water and disaster relief.”
Several applicants explained that it took a while for them to decide on their career paths. Here are some of the responses we received describing the event or events, that led people to on their career path destination.
Physician’s Assistant
“During my freshman year of college, I was struck by a drunk driver on the freeway. Struggling to sort through my amnesia, I came upon a young woman pinned beneath an SUV and a man ejected a few feet away. After observing his lacerated abdomen and his gaping skull, I knew the only thing that I could do was to comfort him. While holding his skull together with my bare hands, I attempted to keep him awake by talking to him. Both he and his fiancée died that night. The only survivors apart from myself were the drunk driver, and her toddler. My experience has driven me to become a PA [Physician’s Assistant] who specializes in trauma”.
Defender of At-Risk Children
“Through the hundreds of severely emotionally disturbed children our agency had served over the years, one case stands out. His story helps explain my motivation for attending law school. Suffering from severe intellectual disabilities and a childhood full of traumatic events, his cognitive defects often lead to his involvement in serious altercations with others which ultimately resulted in his deep embroilment in the juvenile criminal justice system. I was tasked with making sure there was clear coordination between our agency and the representatives at the court system. By virtue of proximity, I witnessed the enormous undertaking that court representatives working in the juvenile court system manage”.
Public Office
“My team and I formed an organization that aimed at addressing the issues that were plaguing our community from the homeless to the hopeless. We hosted food drives, clothing drives, and toy drives. We prepared and served over 1,000 meals to the homeless in Santa Ana. We also hosted monthly clothing and toy drives for those in orphanages and homeless shelters. At one event, we organized a community concert with local musicians to spread awareness of our county’s rising homeless crisis. Instead of charging people a cover fee, I asked everyone attending to donate a pair of shoes. After the concert, we passed out the donated items to the homeless in Santa Ana. Our team has helped thousands of people and inspired many in the process. Although we made a significant impact in our community, I feel that we were placing band-aids on these problems while failing to address the root causes of the issues. This realization is what influenced me to pursue a career in public service. Being an elected public official gives me the chance to create new legislation that could benefit the community for years to come and contribute to the public good by making a lasting change in our community”.
Nurse
“I attended a mission trip to Nogales, a border town in Mexico, serving at a local shelter for migrants and children called, The Home of Hope and Peace. It was a city beset by many troubles—drug trafficking, gang activity, poverty, and heightened tension with growing immigration troubles. One of the children I met was Jose, who had come from Ecuador. His family had received many threats from the local gangs, as they had wanted Jose to join their gang. His family fled for their lives, knowing they could not allow their beloved son to be endangered. ‘The road has been long and very dangerous, but it is worth it to keep my family safe,’ explained Jose’s father. This simple statement, showed me the value and the fragility of life and that even one life, is worth great sacrifices. This understanding heavily influenced my decision to choose nursing as my career so I too will sacrifice for others”.
Other Careers
Industrial- mechanical- electrical and biochemical engineers. Social workers working with dementia and Alzheimers disease, and social workers for low-income families and those focusing on sexually abused adults and children. Kinesiologist, psychologist, veterinarian and game warden. Medical doctors, nurses, dentists, hygienists, chemists and public health officers. Physical- occupational- behavioral and equine therapists. Lawyers specializing in diverse spheres, Government, Finance and Alternative Investment Managers. College professor, high school, lower school and kindergarten teachers. Communication advocate, human resources, a federal air marshal and an American Sign Language interpreter. Fashion and interior designers, theatre and set designers and hospitality managers.
Tobin Injury Law thanks all participants for their inspirational essays. We wish them the best of luck in their bright and promising futures!
Future Scholarships
We are going to continue to help students achieve their educational goals. To that end, we will continue to offer scholarships to deserving students. Please visit here as we will be giving another scholarship to another inspiring student.