Inquiry Letter

 INQUIRY LETTER

                                                                                                26 Pancoran Street

                                                                                                Providence, RI  02912-9706

                                                                                                January 01, 2012

Chiaki.Shinichi

Assistant Vice President and Trust Officer

U.S. BankTrust Group

1414 Fourth Avenue

P.O. Box 720

Seattle, WA  98111

re:  Parrett Scholarship Foundation

Dear Mr. Shinichi:

I am writing to request consideration for the Parrett Scholarship offered by The Parrett Scholarship Foundation.  I believe I meet all of the qualifications as specified by the foundation.

I am presently a first-year student at Brown Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island.  I graduated from Amherst College in 2005 with a bachelor of arts degree cum laude in Biochemistry.  My career goal at this point is to be a primary care physician in a community-based hospital similar to the one where I volunteered during my college years.  I hope to serve a multicultural patient population and specifically provide preventive care to adolescents and women.  Since enrolling at Brown, I have participated in the Adolescent Health Education Project in which groups of medical students visit local high schools and community centers once a week to discuss health issues with teenagers.  Our topics include AIDS, alcohol and drugs, sexuality, teen pregnancy, relationships and peer pressure.

Medical school at Brown brings with it an average annual cost of $55,730.  While I am receiving some scholarship assistance, I am also borrowing from several student loan programs in order to cover my tuition and living expenses.   Without additional scholarship assistance, my financial aid officer and I estimate that my educational debt at graduation will reach approximately $xxx (see attached debt profile).  My parents are nearing retirement and will soon be living on a fixed income.  They earn approximately $xxx per year and thus are able to provide only minimal support to my brother (who is in his second year of law school) and me.  I am concerned that my mounting educational debt will preclude me from considering lower-paying primary care specialties such as family practice and pediatrics. 

I would be happy to provide any additional information (e.g., transcripts, letters of recommendation, tax returns, etc.) that your committee would like to review.  I am also available for an interview at your convenience.  If you require an application form, I would appreciate it if you would send one to me at the address listed above. 

Thank you in advance for your consideration.  I look forward to hearing from you. 

Sincerely,

Noda Megumi