Donna C. Arrington Scholarship Recipient: Gabrielle Purick

First year MPH student Gabrielle (Gabby) Purick has been selected to receive the Donna C. Arrington scholarship. A New York native, Purick received her Bachelor’s degree in English from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 2016, where she also minored in Linguistics and Sociology. During her undergraduate career, she worked with the Red Cross and AmeriCorps. Gabby founded a non-profit organization, “Vivvre Haiti”, which strives to feed, educate, and protect children in Haiti from disease and poverty. She says that her work in those organizations led her to discover her passion for public health and has inspired her to remain involved with her community and its well-being.

The Donna C. Arrington scholarship was created in honor the late Ms. Arrington by a network of family, friends, and colleagues. Ms. Arrington’s career was distinguished by tireless work in the Peace Corps, at the United Way and as the Senior Director of the Regional HIV/AIDS Consortium. She was known in our community for her ability to help others think outside the box to find middle ground. Her empathy, compassion and intellect were manifested in relationship building.

Purick was presented with the award at a reception on October 27.

Gabby Purick (left) 2016 recipient of the Donna C. Arrington Scholarship and Cathy Morelli (right), close friend of the late Ms. Arrington.