The Community Foundation for Crawford County is pleased to introduce Ella Collene, the 2026 recipient of the Life of Service Scholarship award.
Ella, the daughter of Trina Collene and James Collene, is a 2026 graduate of Buckeye Central High School. She is attending University of Toledo and studying Biochemistry.
What inspired you to choose your intended major?
"There are a plethora of reasons on to why I ultimately settled upon Biochemistry as my undergrad degree, but ultimately, it comes down to my ultimate goal of pursuing higher education in a medical relevance. My dream is to be a doctor, and to be successful and realistic, I have to take steps accordingly. Biochemistry covers a tremendous portion of the modern MCAT, and if I change my mind on my career path, it offers many different pathways (ex., Pharmacy, Clinical Research, Forensics, etc.). Even with all of my practical reasons, I still do thoroughly enjoy science, so Biochemistry for me was a mix of both practicality and what I like in learning."
What are your career and life goals after you graduate?
"As I stated in my previous response, my primary goal is to become an attending physician. Currently, as I begin my undergraduate years, I want to begin by joining clubs and finding my place in college. After my undergraduate degree is completed, my goal will be to take the MCAT in my fourth year in the winter, with a gap year following to strengthen clinical and research hours as the med school application cycle begins. Career-wise (once I finish all required schooling), I plan to become a Geneticist with a focus in research of Autism (from a biological standpoint)."
Congratulations and good luck in the future, Ella!
To learn more about scholarships offered through the Foundation, visit www.cfcrawford.org/scholarships
