Family and friends of Gracie Czarnik

The Graceful Memories Scholarship at The Foundation at Monroe County Community College was established by the family and friends of Gracie E. Czarnik honoring her dream of becoming a pediatrician.

Czarnik, of Monroe, was preparing for her sophomore year at Monroe High School when she died at the age of 15 in 2017. Her family and friends established the Graceful Memories Scholarship in her memory to assist a student from Monroe County who shared Gracie’s interest in a career in medicine.

Gracie’s family and friends began by making an annual donation for a scholarship, which was first awarded in 2020, and it quickly grew it to an endowed fund, which requires a minimum of $20,000, in 2021. Endowed funds for scholarships are awarded based on the interest and earnings of the fund. This allows for ongoing awards to be made in perpetuity.
Gracie’s family and friends host an annual golf outing in her honor that helped them raise the funds to establish and grow the Graceful Memories Scholarship.

Gracie was very involved in a variety of student groups at MHS including the school’s choir and Project Unify, which fostered friendships between students with disabilities and those without. She was looking forward to serving as a Trojan Mentor to incoming freshmen at MHS. She had a natural affinity for children and had hoped to pursue a career in medicine as a pediatrician.

Gracie had many family and friends not only at MHS but throughout the county which is why her family and friends have made decided to make sure that anyone in Monroe County interested in pursuing a career in healthcare like she had planned has the opportunity to be considered for the scholarship. Establishing the Graceful Memories Scholarship and working toward its growth provides a way for Gracie’s family and friends to carry her memory on.