Dr. Mark and Cheryl Giffey Scholarship

The Dr. Mark and Cheryl Giffey Scholarship Fund was established for graduates of W.F. West High School as they pursue post-baccalaureate degrees in veterinary and human medicine.

The Giffey Family (Lee and Frances) arrived in Chehalis in the 1940s and opened and operated a retail hardware store until 1993. The next generation of the Giffey Family (Mark Giffey) obtained his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University in 1982. He began practicing at and became the owner of Chehalis Centralia Veterinary Hospital until 2018. Both businesses received strong support from the Chehalis community. Assisting the efforts to make Chehalis a successful small-town community, the Giffey Family members were dedicated to serving on many local boards and commissions and donated to programs that support education, health, and economic development for its residents.

The Giffey Family recognizes and appreciates the financial support many Chehalians have provided to graduates of W F West High School as they pursue their education after high school. As the generational progression has occurred in the Chehalis community, there has developed a mindset of expanding the scholarship system established long ago, especially with the significant growth in student debt.

The Dr. Mark and Cheryl Giffey Scholarship Fund is specifically dedicated to W.F. West graduates who are enrolled in graduate programs to become Doctors of Veterinary Medicine, Doctors of Human Medicine, or Family Nurse Practitioners through Washington State University to help minimize the student debt necessary to obtain those degrees.

Students must meet the following criteria:

• Graduate of W.F. West High School
• Enrolled in the College of Veterinary Medicine Doctors of Veterinary Medicine program, or the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine Doctors of Human Medicine program, or the College of Nursing for a Family Nurse Practitioner degree through Washington State University.

The Dr. Mark and Cheryl Giffey Scholarship Fund is administered by the Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education at Washington State University with assistance from the Chehalis Foundation.

Preference will be given to applicants who intend to practice in a rural area.

The yearly award is expected to be $6000. The applicant may receive multiple consecutive years while entered in above listed programs at Washington State University. If there is more than one qualifying student in the various programs (listed above) at the same time, the scholarship should be divided and given to the qualified students.