Natasha Hongsermeier-Graves of Sioux City, a 2017 Morningside College graduate, has received the prestigious Dennis R. Washington Leadership Scholarship awarded through the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.

Natasha Hongsermeier-Graves of Sioux City, a 2017 Morningside College graduate, has received the prestigious Dennis R. Washington Leadership Scholarship awarded through the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans.

The scholarship gives Hongsermeier-Graves up to $120,000 to obtain her medical degree at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Currently working as an admissions counselor at Morningside, Hongsermeier-Graves will begin her medical school studies in the fall.

The Dennis R. Washington Leadership Scholarship is awarded to Horatio Alger Alumni Scholars who are pursuing master’s or doctoral degrees in the fields of business, education, engineering, medicine and applied sciences. Hongsermeier-Graves received an Ak-Sar-Ben/Horatio Alger Scholarship in 2012 to pursue her undergraduate degree from Morningside. She graduated summa cum laude from Morningside last May with a Bachelor of Science in biology and chemistry and a Bachelor of Arts in music.

Hongsermeier-Graves is a native of Phillips, Neb., and a 2012 graduate of Aurora (Nebraska) High School.

The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit educational organization based in Alexandria, Va. The Dennis R. Washington Leadership Scholarships are funded by the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation in Missoula, Mont.