Meharry Medical College student Glynn Chatmon is the newest scholar in Horizon Therapeutics’ ‘Horizon Scholars’ program. The Horizon Scholars program provides scholarships to cover student debt costs and offers professional mentorship, peer networking, internships and job opportunities for students.
For Chatmon, the first Meharry medical student to receive a fully paid scholarship, the Horizon scholarship will drastically reduce his post-medical school financial debt and allow him to focus on why he attended an HBCU medical school.
“As a Black man, I understand the need for Black physicians throughout the health care system. This scholarship will allow me to pursue the medical specialty of my choice. It allows me to aspire and take to heart what I feel called to do, which is to care for and serve marginalized communities,” said Chatmon. “Being able to focus on my studies and not have to worry about finances is something I am beyond grateful to Meharry and Horizon Therapeutics for.”
Meharry’s leadership understands the need to provide its students with access to as many debt relief options as possible. “As the leader of a historically Black medical college, I see firsthand the disproportionate effects student loan debt has on our mostly Black and Brown students,” Hildreth said. “The Horizon Scholars program will provide not only Glynn, but future recipients with the necessary resources needed to allow them to focus on their education and Meharry’s mission of bringing quality care to the people of underserved communities.”
Closing the education equity gap cannot occur through financial assistance alone, so Horizon simultaneously invests in providing experiential opportunities to its scholars. Each scholar is matched with a Horizon employee for professional mentorship and can access quarterly programming events to develop professional networking skills, build resumes and practice mock interviews. Scholars also have the opportunity to meet with employees and learn about internship and job opportunities at Horizon.
“Horizon meaningfully supports diversity of thought and experience within STEAM fields through our partnerships with these institutions to ensure a diverse pool of students can go to college, pursue their STEAM dreams, and achieve their full career potential,” said Irina Konstantinovsky, executive vice president, chief human resources and chief diversity officer at Horizon. “Education and experiential learning go hand-in-hand when aiming for a successful career and we look forward to empowering these scholars, to fully immersing themselves in their higher education without the burden of cost after graduation.”
