04.25.2024 MOST Staff
“Our parents went out of their way to figure out how Heather and I could go to a school that could provide us with what we needed to succeed in life,” said M.O.S.T. Alumnus and current medical student Holly Ingram. “M.O.S.T. gave us a foundation in the sciences that projected us to where we are now.”
“They chose to live in a less expensive neighborhood and chose not to drive new cars to finance our schooling,” said her sister Heather Felder, a registered nurse. “Our mother even got a job at the school to reduce the cost of tuition. Our parents always did everything to make sure we could go on that out-of-town field trip with the school, that mission trip, anything that supported our education. I know it was hard for them, looking back.”
Through the hard work and sacrifice of their parents, Michel and Bo Ingram, and with the support of M.O.S.T. Scholarships, Holly and Heather attended Northpoint Christian School where the rigorous curriculum, caring faculty, and ambitious student body put them on trajectories that carried them into medical careers.
Heather, mom Michel, Holly, and dad Bo enjoying a recent family trip.
“When you come from a family like ours that doesn’t have a college background, it’s hard to know where to start when you’re entering that phase of your life,” said Holly. “I didn’t know if I was equipped to apply and more uncertain how to begin the application process. ‘Do I have to have a letter of rec? How do I fill out an FAFSA? How can we afford to go to college?’”
But at Northpoint they were surrounded by peers already walking a college-bound path, and taught by educators intentionally guiding their pupils toward academic success. Higher education was the expectation for students, and that culture of high achievement rubbed off on the sisters.
“At Northpoint, we took all sorts of science classes and engaged in science-focused projects and activities,” said Heather. “Having the support of peers and teachers helped me understand where I wanted to go with my career. Without our M.O.S.T. scholarships we wouldn’t have been at that school and I truly have no clue where I would be without that experience.”
Holly, six years younger than Heather, also credits the school’s students and faculty as the inspiration for her journey into medicine. But she also nods to another mentor, one a bit closer to home.
“Heather ultimately helped carve a path that allowed me to see a future in going to college; she’s the big reason why I was eager to go.,” said Holly. “Heather went to Baptist Health Sciences University and graduated with a nursing degree, paving the way for me to follow in her footsteps. I didn’t apply to any other University except BHSU which is where I also started as a nursing major, before going down a different path.”
Today, Heather lives in San Fransisco with her husband, working with patients on issues related to medication and treatment. Holly is close to completing her first year in medical school at Rocky Vista University in St. George, Utah. An outdoorsy person since moving west, she volunteers with the local Search and Rescue team in addition to pursuing deepening her education in wilderness medicine. She also hopes to focus her efforts in Alzheimer’s care, working with patients suffering the disease that affected the girls’ paternal grandparents.
“We came from a low-income family, and the schools we were zoned for would not have led us to where we are today,” said Heather. “Because of M.O.S.T., I was able to go to a fantastic High School, which kind of defined my future. In my mind, people who support M.O.S.T. are giving people like me a future and an urge to strive for something better.”
“Because of my experiences as a child in school, I was able to visualize the career that I want to have, and the life that I want to have,” said Holly. “Having the foundation that M.O.S.T. gave, set me up to truly believe that there is no ceiling, and that I can keep going as far as I can, and I think that’s what we both did.”
