Phi Kappa Phi awards nearly $1 million yearly to deserving students and professionals. The Society awards fifty Fellowships of $8,500 each, six at $20,000 each, and two at $35,000 each to members entering the first year of graduate or professional study. Phoebe Stark, a 2018 fellowship recipient, has a career goal as big as the world. She wants to work with National Geographic and research global health. And, with the help of Phi Kappa Phi, she’s one step closer.

Stark is using the $5,000 she received from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi to start medical school at the University of California San Diego.

“It is amazing how much I have learned in the past five months of medical school, but I still have a long way to go,” Stark said. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville grad has also been working with the Free Clinic Project and on several research projects with the Department of Surgery and with high altitude research.

“I am climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania this summer and look forward to applying what I have learned through my research to an extreme high altitude experience,” she said.

Stark is no stranger to mountains. While at Tennessee, she was a Kiwi Ambassador to New Zealand, where she advocated for improved education and increased awareness for studying abroad in Oceana.

“I love hiking, exploring, and adventure, and so living in New Zealand was a dream come true,” she said. “I am also a huge Lord of the Rings fan. It was an experience that changed my life goals by igniting my passion for global health and performing medical care and training around the world.”

That’s where National Geographic comes in. Stark wants to team up with the organization to provide health care in underserved communities, including by training new providers in those communities. And even though she’s at the beginning of her career, she hopes the compassion she feels for those communities and all her patients becomes her trademark as she goes forward.

Stark is also thrilled to represent the medical community and Phi Kappa Phi.

“When I first saw the email from Phi Kappa Phi, with ‘Congratulations!’ in the subject line, my initial reaction was shock, then excitement,” she said. “Phi Kappa Phi inducts only the most qualified and successful students, and so I was thrilled to be selected as a Phi Kappa Phi Fellow. I am honored to represent The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi to my school and the medical community.”

Do you want to be one of our next fellowship recipients? Click here to find out how to apply before the April 15 deadline.