DEARBORN — Henry Ford Early College (HFEC)/Henry Ford College (HFC) student Yasmeen Berry has won three prestigious scholarships that will help with her tuition.

Berry, an aspiring doctor, will be going to the University of Michigan this fall.

The scholarships include The Barry Goldwater Scholarship, The All-USA Academic Team Scholarship and The New Century Transfer Pathway Scholarship.

The Goldwater Scholarship amounts to $15,000 and is one of the oldest and most prestigious scholarships in natural sciences, engineering and mathematics.

“The Goldwater Scholarship emphasizes that its recipients prioritize research, and my ultimate career goal is to pursue a research career as a physician-scientist,” Berry said. “In an effort to support more community college students becoming Goldwater Scholars, I have joined the Goldwater Diversity and Inclusion Mentorship Program. Through this program, I will work with community college students to prepare them for future Goldwater Scholarship competitions and successful STEM research careers. Being a 2021 Goldwater Scholar, I am interested in participating in this program to help others in our community create their own opportunities for academic success.”

Berry is one of 20 community college students nationwide to win the All-USA Academic Team scholarship, which is worth $5,000. She earned it through the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society.

Berry is also president of the HFC Chapter of the PTK and a member of the Henry Ford II Honors Program at HFC.

“As a whole, I am grateful for the plethora of ways in which PTK facilitates student leadership, scholarship, fellowship and service,” Berry said. “With the help of my chapter at HFC, I have been able to recognize and appreciate how PTK membership can help establish the foundation for making a positive impact on college campuses, communities and society.”

Berry also won the New Century Transfer Pathway Scholarship, which totals $2,250, Only one winner is selected per state based on their academic accomplishments, leadership, community involvement and extending their intellectual abilities beyond the classroom.

Berry is a native of Dearborn and is a student in the Henry Ford Early College (HFEC) program, which is a partnership between HFC, Dearborn Public Schools and the Henry Ford Health System in coordination with the Wayne County Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) and the state board of education.

HFEC is a five-year program that combines high school and college for students aspiring in the health field, awarding them with a high school diploma and an associate degree upon graduation.

Berry will graduate on May 22 with an associate degree in biology. At U of M she plans to major in neurology and biological anthropology.

“As I aspire to achieve an M.D./PhD in neuroscience, the combination of my bench knowledge and bedside care means that I would be able to bridge the gap between research and application in a rapidly evolving research field,” she said. “Through conduction neurodegenerative disease research utilizing the context of a clinical treatment lens, my research would directly impact patient treatment through an integration of novel discovery. Ultimately, I hope to become a principal investigator that is at the forefront of neurodegenerative disease treatment within a clinical research hospital.”

Berry’s decision to go into neurology was inspired by her grandmother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

“My frequent discussions with her have evolved from listening to her intricately woven stories of childhood to struggling to jog her memory by repeating those stories back to her,” she said. “She has forgotten conversations and even family names. As with many other Alzheimer’s patients, my grandmother can forget how to eat and drink. My personal familial afflictions and experiences as a volunteer at a free mental health and wellness clinic have fueled my passion to pursue both anthropology and neuroscience. I want to better understand societal culture and subjectivity as I also study the specificity and objectivity involved in the natural sciences.”