Concordia graduate receives Torrison medical school scholarship

Peyton Kessel ’25 has been named a recipient of the Dr. George and Emma J. Torrison Scholarship Fund, receiving a $7,500 grant to help offset the cost of medical school.

The scholarship provides grants to future medical students nominated by Evangelical Lutheran Church in America colleges or campus ministries. It recognizes outstanding individuals who have demonstrated a dedication to medicine and a commitment to addressing incurable diseases.

Kessel is the 15th Concordia student or graduate to receive the award in the past 14 years. He majored in biology and minored in chemistry at Concordia and is now studying at the University of North Dakota’s School of Medicine & Health Sciences.

He said he has always had a passion for science, service, and relationship building. With both his parents working in healthcare, he has desired to make an impact as they have. 

Kessel was nominated for the scholarship by Dr. Julie Rutherford, associate professor of biology, director of Concordia’s pre-health professions programs, and chair of the Health Professions Advisory Committee. Rutherford said the grants are typically awarded to graduating seniors entering their first year of medical school, making Kessel’s selection as a 2025 graduate a “special circumstance.”

His selection over students from the 2026 graduating class, Rutherford said, is “a testament to the quality of his application.”

Kessel said he is grateful for both the financial support and the encouragement behind the award.

“It motivates me to know that there are people who are invested in my education and believe in the impact I can make!” Kessel said.