Commemorating Life Through Scholarships

This year, four students from disadvantaged backgrounds are getting financial help to study medicine at Tel Aviv University thanks to the family of the late Maya Glogowsky. Maya studied at TAU’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences until she was tragically killed by her boyfriend in her third year. In her memory, Australian supporters Julie and Fred Weschler along with American donor Melanie Maier have supported a scholarship for outstanding medical students initiated by Maya’s family and the Faculty.  

As Maya’s specialty was innovation, the scholarship was awarded to students who showed particular innovational talent. Says Dean of Medicine Karen Avraham: “This is an exceptional gesture in Maya's memory, which also demonstrates the importance of making medical students aware of domestic violence, and the need for education and training on this topic in their studies.” 

“This is an exceptional gesture in Maya's memory, which also demonstrates the importance of making medical students aware of domestic violence in their studies.” - Dean of Medicine Prof. Karen Avraham

Celebrating Maya’s Life 

In the time she had, Maya made numerous impactful contributions and achievements.  

She was a star student in high school, where she majored in classical music. She then moved to Vienna, where she earned an Administration and International Marketing degree with distinction. After completing her studies, she worked successfully for several years at the global Marriott hotel chain.  

Eventually, Maya returned home to embark on yet a new path in the field of medical cannabis. She became a prominent figure in the industry, and even founded her own startup. After building an outstanding career in cannabis, Maya once again demonstrated her extraordinary talent for taking on new challenges and decided to pursue her childhood dream of studying medicine at Tel Aviv University. Here too, she thrived until her studies were cut cruelly short. 

“Let us remember Maya not only for her professional accomplishments, but also for her spirit, kindness and dedication.” - Maya's family

Maya’s family: “Maya was a radiant soul whose untimely passing has left an indescribable void in our hearts. Let us remember her not only for her professional accomplishments, but also for her spirit, kindness and dedication. May she inspire us to work towards creating a society that does not tolerate violence, particularly violence against women.” 

In one last act of selflessness, Maya’s corneas were donated, “so someone would be fortunate enough to see the world through her beautiful eyes,” say her family. 

Continuing Maya’s Legacy 

Maya’s generous spirit lives on at TAU in the form of a scholarship for needy medical students.  

One is Meir, 34, from a religious agricultural settlement in the Golan Heights. Most people from his community do not attend university, and he is the first in the whole settlement to pursue medicine. He is now in the particularly intensive second year and must maintain high grades and high concentration. “This scholarship not only provides me with some financial breathing room but also strengthens my commitment to succeed and make a meaningful impact, just as Maya did,” he says. 

“This scholarship not only provides me with some financial breathing room but also strengthens my commitment to succeed and make a meaningful impact, just as Maya did.” - Meir, 34

Another student is Nerya, a 32-year-old mother of two from Jerusalem. She dreamed of becoming a doctor all her life, but after starting a family at 19, she feared this might be too challenging as an ultra-Orthodox woman and young mother. 

“As time went on, I realized that this was what I wanted most of all: to be a doctor in the State of Israel, and become a pioneer in my community,” she says. “I see this as an opportunity to be an example for women in general, and Haredi women in particular, who are afraid to follow their ambitions.” 

The scholarship in Maya’s memory helps ease Nerya’s financial burden as a parent and member of a low-income demographic. “But it is also a sign of responsibility,” she says, “to continue on Maya's path: to see the person behind the patient, to give of myself without limit and to strive for innovation and humanity in my profession.”