OLIVIA V. ERHARDT LO.V.E FUND

Olivia Erhardt was a bright and beautiful young woman, an aspiring scientist with a love of physics, a serious interest in medicine and medical research, and an impressive command of Harry Potter trivia. A 2014 graduate of Mariemont High School, she was pursuing a degree in physics at Columbia University and became interested in medical research after participating in Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program in 2015.

Later that year, Olivia joined the Columbia University Global Medical Brigades Chapter and volunteered for their annual trip to work in a medical clinic in rural Honduras. On the last day of their trip, the bus transporting the students from their base to the airport

went off the highway and three of the volunteers, including Olivia, died in the accident.

To honor Olivia’s life, her love of science and her desire to help others in need, the Erhardt family has worked with the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), the Mariemont School Foundation and community members to establish the Olivia V. Erhardt Memorial Fund for Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows.

The goal of the program is to provide funding for one or more incremental summer undergraduate research fellowship (SURF) positions at CCHMC for eligible Mariemont High School seniors and alumni. Each position requires approximately $5,000 in annual funding for a student stipend and administrative overhead.

The LO.V.E. Fund will be available to support Mariemont High School (MHS) current seniors, or prior graduates, who are accepted into the CCHMC SURF program.
Interested students apply to the program via the CCHMC website by the deadline established by CCHMC.
IMPORTANT! To be considered for funding through the LO.V.E. Fund, students must also email Amanda Leszczuk aleszczuk@mariemontschools.org at the Mariemont High School and Sherry Thornton sherry.thornton@cchmc.org at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to identify themselves as Mariemont High School students or alumni and ensure their application is flagged for consideration.
Selected students are first matched with available funded positions by CCHMC.
Any MHS student that was selected by the program, but not matched with a funded position, would then be eligible to be funded by the LO.V.E. Fund. The Fund is intended to allow CCHMC to extend a SURF position to a MHS senior or graduate who would not otherwise have the opportunity to participate.
The LO.V.E. Fund is intended to support qualified candidates that have been selected by CCHMC. It is not a guaranteed position for a MHS candidate.
If there is more than one MHS student/alumni selected but not matched, CCHMC will select the best candidate to be funded by The LO.V.E. Fund. They may confer with Mariemont School Foundation to make that choice, and/or to decide to extend funding or partial funding to more than one student.
Funds not used in a given year roll over to the following year.