Being an Elks scholar helped Shruti Kolli, a Weigel recipient and 2019 MVS scholar, cement her “why.”

“Being recognized by the Elks National Foundation in 2019 reaffirmed my career choice and strength in overcoming obstacles,” says Kolli, who was sponsored by Wheaton, Ill., Lodge No. 2258. “Upon connecting with Elks scholars, some of which I stayed in touch with throughout college, I was inspired to pursue my studies with the same community service and leadership-oriented mindset embodied by my fellow scholars.”

Kolli plans to attend the University of Florida College of Medicine, where she will study obstetrics and gynecology. Kolli is determined to make her patient’s healthcare accessible and understandable. She wants to arm her patients with the information and resources they need to make informed decisions about their healthcare.

“I seek to ensure that when a patient enters my care, they will not only have a provider,” says Kolli. “They will also gain an advocate, mentor, and network of support.”

In March 2020, she took the first step toward reaching her goal by co-founding the Gainesville, Florida, branch of ContraCOVID. After the pandemic started and Kolli was uprooted from her college community to move back home, she felt alone and lost. Working as an outreach leader and volunteer helped her find purpose.

She developed printer and low-literacy friendly resource guides to help people find housing, food, unemployment and medical services, and more. The resources were published in Spanish, Mandarin and Korean to improve their reach.

She also ran a social media outreach campaign to share infographics and bust common myths. Her efforts helped people better understand their symptoms and get appropriate care.

“I will never forget the feeling of connecting patients with our resources,” says Kolli. “This was one of the few opportunities these groups had to feel included in their care by accessing health information they understood.”

Kolli helped expand ContraCOVID to 10 new chapters across the country. In addition, she has helped run menstrual hygiene product drives for domestic violence shelters, hosted educational panels, established food pantries, and worked with health literacy nonprofits.

“Being able to assume such significant leadership in an especially volatile and isolating time allowed me to realize my passion for community-building, public health advocacy, and health leadership,” says Kolli. “I plan to translate these passions to my future medical career to serve patients on both an individual and community level.”