Page 16 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2023

COAST NOTE
Juliana DeDual.
Braylon Coleman.
Aleighna Baugh.
story by Cherie Ward photo by Nadiya Copeland
Dr. George Loukatos.
THREE SOUTH MISSISSIPPI STUDENTS TO RECEIVE $5,000
The doctor and staff at AlphaCare Urgent Care of the Gulf Coast have chosen not two, but three recipients for this year’s scholarship program.
“It was such a difficult process to go through and select
the final winners this year,” said Dr. George Loukatos, MD. “We had 122 applicants and it was just impossible to choose between the three of them so we decided to honor all three rather than just two. So it was a little bit of a deviation from our original plan but we were happy to do it because we had a lot more applications this year.”
The scholarship winners include Aleighna Baugh of D’Iberville High School, Braylon Coleman of Gautier High School, and Juliana DeDual of Harrison Central High School. Each student will receive a $5,000 scholarship to the college of their choice this fall.
“And these three kids we chose are outstanding,” Loukatos said. “They are just amazing and have had to overcome some difficult stuff while working hard at school maintaining a high GPA and balancing full-time jobs while still being at the top of their class and having impressive extracurricular activities.”
Loukatos said he and his staff at the three locations in Ocean Springs, Biloxi, and Gulfport were astonished by all of the impressive applicants who applied this year. “You
don’t realize just how many amazing stories there are out there until you start reading these applications,” he said. “It was tough to choose.”
They narrowed the 122 applicants down to 10 finalists and everyone voted, but the staff could not come up with just two winners. “There was so much to consider,” he said. “But in the end, we’re very proud of the three people we picked and we think that they’re outstanding and definitely very deserving.”
The scholarship program is a chance for AlphaCare and the staff to reinvest in the Gulf Coast community. “It’s a chance for us to help our young people who are going to ultimately come back to this community and be leaders,” he said. “We felt like even if we are just giving a couple of kids the opportunity to get a leg up on things, it’s a great way for us to reinvest in the community that’s entrusted us with their healthcare.”
AlphaCare also annually participates in community-driven support programs such as Letters To Santa and is involved with United Way of South Mississippi and the United MSD Foundation in Ocean Springs. The staff also provides free physicals for students at the surrounding high schools.
“We are proud of the people we support and we feel like they’re all great causes,” he said.
16 | June 2023
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