Scholarship

Annie Pinegar, a Utah native, earned her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with an emphasis on fitness and wellness management from Brigham Young University. In May of 2015, after her grandfather passed away, Annie felt called to pursue a nursing degree, and three months later, she and her 6-year-old daughter Brighton, moved to St. George to begin again.  Throughout her experiences in nursing school and clinical rotations, she began to feel disheartened by the lack of health and healing that was happening and felt determined to discover another avenue.  A dear friend and teacher led Annie to SCNM, what is now Sonoran University of Health Sciences, and her long held vision of becoming a practitioner of whole health and healing is being actualized.   

In July of 2020, amidst a tumultuous and terrifying time for people throughout the world, Annie and Brighton packed their belongings once again, and made their way to Mesa, Arizona.  She began her pursuit to become a naturopathic physician in 2022 at Sonoran University of Health Sciences, becoming part of the graduating Fall class of 2027.  She has been participating in federal work study at the medical center in the IV suite for 3 quarters and enjoys the hands-on interactions and associations with the doctors, fellow students, and patients.   

Annie expresses her gratitude for Dr. Christy Love, Dr. Love’s friends and family, the university and scholarship committee, and most especially, her daughter Brighton, the light and forever dream come true.   

In 2022, Kirstin Haney, a second-year student at Sonoran University studying to become a naturopathic doctor, was the recipient of this prestigious award whilst fulfilling her lifelong dream. She is from Oregon where she previously studied Traditional Chinese Medicine and practiced Quantum Shiatsu. Before her acceptance into the program, Kirstin taught anatomy, physiology and communication and ethics courses at the Oregon School of Massage. She is a mother of four children and loves being active outdoors with them. Her hobbies include crafting home décor and furniture, hiking and cuddling her miniature lop. She is currently a student vendor representative for Boiron and is president of the homeopathic club.

My name is Amber, and I am a 2^nd year medical student at Sonoran. I appreciate the existence of the Dr. Christy Love Scholarship, and I feel so fortunate to be a recipient. This award not only helps to fund my education, but it also serves as continued motivation to stay strong and work hard. I am honored to be chosen and hope to provide similar opportunities for students in the future.

My interest in health began as a personal journey and quickly turned to a passion for nutrition. I began working towards a nutrition degree, but after the birth of my daughter I decided to put my plans on hold. When I was ready to continue my education, I was not certain I wanted to remain on my previous path. I knew I wanted more but I was not sure what that was. I began to search.

It was at this time that I stumbled upon the idea of naturopathic medicine. It seemed to have all the missing pieces I was looking for. While searching for schools, I found Sonoran and scheduled a tour. I knew immediately that this was my true path and that Sonoran was the right school for me.

I soon relocated to Arizona from Atlanta, Georgia with my daughter to embark on this incredible journey. While it has been interesting to navigate the start of medical school through the midst of a pandemic, it has been an amazing experience. Being a mother has been pivotal to keeping me grounded and balanced during the chaos. I am so happy to be here and to see what incredible things I can accomplish.

My name is Aalia, I am a 4th year medical student and in the Community Honors Track program at Sonoran.

First off, I would like to send my deepest appreciation to the Dr. Christy Love for her legacy in being a strong, competent mother who thrived in and after medical school. It is through leaders like her who help us understand our true potential in excelling in what we doing while being phenomenal mothers. This scholarship not only assisted me in getting closer to a goal that will serve the greater good of this planet, but it will also remind others of who Dr. Love was. Thank you.

I stumbled across naturopathic medicine while in the nursing program at Western Connecticut State University. While attending an optional selective class I took, a naturopathic physician, Dr. Gazsi, came in to give a talk on how he cured his stage 3 Lyme disease with a raw food diet. In awe, I instantly researched the closest naturopathic school, and ended up finishing my undergraduate program at University of Bridgeport, with a degree in health sciences and pre-naturopathic medicine.

This journey led me eager in understanding my mother’s chronic health conditions. She went from feeling hopeless while being bed ridden with fibromyalgia and CFS, to feeling in her 20s again with the assist of integrative care. Her health increased tremendously by changing her diet, lifestyle, and finding a healthy community.

My focus in medicine will be working in community medicine and pain management. I am passionate about caring for the community we work in. Our philosophy can be easily applied to many cultures by using diet as the main driver for health. Working in the parameter and access of certain community’s make it fun to creatively problem solve.

My one piece of advice for all the single mothers, is show your child what a loving community looks like, where people help each other out, enjoy each other’s time, and strive to better everyone around them. When we stay connected, it will nourish us as a whole.

Take time, spend time with family. Strive to do your best by making connections, and doing well in school. Remember, you are here to learn this information to eventually teach your patients this. So learn this for you, not for a great GPA, although it does help.

Medical school at Sonoran is not something we do alone. We don’t learn on our own, we don’t practice all alone. So, remember to appreciate God and the community we are in. Learn a lot, make mistakes, and love yourself for learning from them.