FOLSOM, Calif. – (Dec. 12, 2020) – SAFE Credit Union awarded UC Davis Medical School third-year medical student Angelina Mikityuk with a scholarship during a ceremony at the UC Davis Mind Institute.
Medical school students on average graduate with around $200,000 in student loan debt, a heavy load to bear as they enter the medical field in their 30s. That debt can affect where they choose to work, in which disciplines, and delay their other important
life decisions such as buying a home and starting a family.
SAFE Credit Union’s pillars of philanthropy include health care and education, and this scholarship combines both missions by assisting a medical student who will in turn share her expertise with the Greater Sacramento community.
“This scholarship is an immense help as I finish my last two years of medical school and begin choosing my specialty,” says Mikityuk, a Sacramento-area native who plans to practice medicine in the Greater Sacramento area after becoming an
MD. “Your support is incredibly valuable to medical students like me. It helps me worry less about increasing my debt and instead focus my energy on learning how to give the best possible care to those in our community.”
Mikityuk knew she wanted to become a physician since she was a child. She attended undergrad at UC Davis where she graduated with a degree in Anthropology before applying to medical school. “I love Sacramento. I want to practice here,” she
says.
“SAFE is so pleased to be able to support UC Davis Medical School students like Angelina,” says said Amanda Merz, SAFE Credit Union community and advocacy engagement manager. “I’m so impressed by her dedication and commitment to
serve her community. She exemplifies the ‘people helping people’ mission the credit union embraces.”
SAFE Credit Union provided $300,000 in philanthropic giving to the Greater Sacramento Region in 2019. SAFE focuses its giving in three areas: supporting education; improving health; and supporting current and former members of the U.S. military. It also
encourages its employees to volunteer by providing 16 hours of paid time off for staff members to give to causes they care about.
About SAFE
SAFE Credit Union has made members an integral part of its vision since 1940. Over the years the credit union has kept the focus on what really matters, putting members first, a formula that has seen SAFE grow into a leading financial institution in Northern
California with nearly $3 billion in assets and about 235,000 members. SAFE crafts every cutting-edge product and sterling service with members’ needs foremost in mind. In addition to banking services conveniently available through online, chat,
mobile, or phone options, SAFE offers in-person care for members and small businesses at service centers across the Greater Sacramento region and a mortgage lending office serving Contra Costa and Alameda counties. SAFE is a not-for-profit, state-chartered
credit union with membership open to businesses and individuals living or working in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, El Dorado, Sutter, Butte, Nevada, Solano, San Joaquin, Contra Costa, Yuba, Amador, and Alameda counties. Insured by NCUA. www.safecu.org