Madison Gouge, of Hagerstown, Maryland, has been named the recipient of the Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA) Zeta Nu Scholarship for the 2022-23 school year. Established in 2018, the Zeta Nu Scholarship is awarded annually to an active sister of the ZTA sorority at Commonwealth University-Lock Haven.
Gouge, a health science major in the pre-physician assistant program, is preparing to enter her junior year. She is also pursuing a minor in psychology.
Initially drawn to The Haven by the strength of its physician assistant program and small class sizes, upon enrolling, Gouge decided to pledge ZTA for sisterhood and lifelong friendships, and also because she was appreciative of the sorority's philanthropic work in the area of breast cancer awareness.
Now boasting a GPA of 3.4, Gouge said the accountability she shares with her sisters and the support they provide each other has played a great role in her student success. She also lauded the financial support of her scholarship alleviating her out-of-pocket costs as she pursues her dream of becoming a medical professional, as something that enables her to give greater focus to her academics.
"I am thankful for this scholarship because it enables me to focus on my classes and coursework, and in doing so it's helping to ensure I achieve the professional goals I have set for myself," Gouge said.
"It means a lot to me to be the recipient of the (ZTA) scholarship and to know that I am supported by others," she added. "Hopefully, one day after I graduate, and my career has begun, I will be able to donate to this scholarship the way others have done for me to also help future ZTA sisters have an LHU experience as great as the experience I have had."
Gouge praised her LHU professors for their willingness to go above and beyond for students and also said the fun and exciting abundance of campus events are something that she thoroughly enjoys attending.
"LHU is a great place to get a college education," she said. "The campus is small. The class sizes are small. And the professors are able to get to know you on an individual level and provide you with all the help that you might need to achieve your academic goals."
In the future, Gouge aims to become a physician assistant in either emergency medicine or pediatrics.
