Huber Scholars—Shahrzad Ehdaivand, a second-year medical student; Benjamin Whittam, a fourth-year student; and Gregory Sawyer, a third-year student—shared with guests how crucial scholarships are to realizing their dreams of becoming physicians and how grateful they are to the Mertens-Huber family for their support.

"The Mertens-Huber scholarship allows me the freedom to volunteer my time to the community, without worrying about how I'm going to pay for textbooks or about taking a job on the side," said Ehdaivand, who before starting the M.D. program earned an M.P.H. at Dartmouth's Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences.

In his remarks, Sawyer not only expressed gratitude to the Mertens-Huber family but said he's been inspired by their generosity." Having this opportunity really makes me want to give something back," he noted.

For Robert Lampman, a second-year student, scholarship support has meant having the freedom to choose a specialty that he feels passionate about rather than one based on its income potential."It means that when you pick your specialty," he said,"you're not thinking,'Can I afford [to practice] this specialty? Can I afford to be in family practice?'That's pretty incredible, to know you have options."

By the end of the evening, it was hard to tell who was more appreciative of whom: the students, who are grateful to the family that is helping to make their dreams of a life in medicine a reality, or the members of the Mertens-Huber family, who truly admire the students' hard work and sacrifices on their journey to becoming physicians.

"I'm amazed at their persistence and dedication to medicine," Jennifer Brock says of the many DMS students whom she's come to know over the years."These people will make a terrific impact on the world."