Scholarship Recipients 2023-2024

At center court seeing the faces of all of those I know that have been touched by cancer chanting for me, a cancer survivor, helped me realize my purpose in life.

The truth is that pain, hurt and fear all have their place in survivorship as much as joy, fun and growth; it's about honoring the process of ups, downs and all arounds.

I have been forever changed, and I appreciate the smallest triumphs because of these overwhelming tragedies. I am a survivor.

"My undying adventure in a hospital bed has given me a critical life lesson: it is not how long one lives that matters, but how he or she lives."

My experiences and my family's experiences with my cancer treatment have inspired me to seek a career in medicine...Being a survivor myself, I will also be able to give hope to patients and families going through their own trials.

I am on a new path now, healthy, and surrounded by new friends, some old friends, and new experiences.

Each hole now represents what my successful cancer treatment afforded me - the opportunity to aim high for my life, celebrate my healthy body, and make a positive impact on the lives of those around me.

No matter where I am, I think back to that Wednesday, and it reminds me of my purpose each and every day and what my survivorship means to me: to inspire others.

"Survivorship means living every single day with the primary outlook of gratitude."

My disease was nothing but a reminder that there is no fear as long as you don't show it.

"I may not have many memories of being in the hospital, but I do deserve the title 'cancer survivor' because of how I live out my life to honor the little girl that fought ALL."

I want to teach others how to believe in conquering "the impossible," how to move past their limitations, even when it seems easier to give up.

But now I have an opportunity to not only keep growing as a student and an engineer but as a person.

In the future, I want to help anyone who receives a cancer diagnosis. I didn't let cancer stop me.

As I look towards the future, the impact that cancer left on me will forever fuel my motivation to succeed.

By using my own experience as a survivor and advocate, I hope to make a positive impact and bring hope to those who are fighting this disease.

"Surviving is living beyond cancer and enjoying life again."

"Fate whispers to the warrior, 'You cannot withstand the storm,' and the warrior whispers back, 'I am the storm.' I am that survivor: a warrior."

As many challenges come my way, I've seemed to create an increasingly picturesque mosaic through resilience, understanding, and self-exploration to overcome them.

The tragedy that some viewed as catastrophic, I saw as a basis for my purpose in life.

"I survived, and that means I now have the potential to not only live, but to truly thrive. I’m a survivor, and to me this means that I was broken and then repaired with gold."

"Surviving cancer taught me that I am stronger and able to accomplish much more than I realize."

Due to cancer, I gained closer bonds with my family and friends, I gained a love for leadership, I gained the courage to ask for help, and I gained an abundance of optimism.

From accepting seemingly incandescent burns from vaccines to making friends with the looming possibility of death, I know how far I am willing to go to give back and how rewarding it is.

For me survivorship means living my life to the fullest unapologetically. Other children like Corey were not given a second chance, so it is my job to make the most of mine.

My journey as a survivor has exposed me to the importance of understanding not only the broken but the rebuilt; my sickness broke me but left me with pieces perfect to build the strongest tower I could.

"I realized that this was what survivorship meant: working for not only your survival and quality of life, but also for the survival and quality of life for all cancer patients."

The perspective cancer gave me is life is wonderful, and to care for others, because we aren't alone. No matter the challenges I have faced, I was determined to get through them.

"I'm not sure how yet, but I want to use my light to brighten the world."

"Survivorship means I am a warrior; I am courageous; I am strong; I am a lionheart."

From the mountain of cancer I hope to remember my perseverance, the people who helped me on the climb, and know that if I was able to climb that mountain, then most other obstacles will be foothills.

"Life is too short to sit around waiting, and if I can inspire others with my story to take life by the horns, I will. I want to help others see the world from my unique perspective as a survivor."

I know from experience my goals and dreams can change based on life's surprises. As long as I put in the work, have patience, and make decisions based on what is best for me, I'll be ready for whatever my future holds.

"I want to use my skills with art to make the world a better place. To inspire good and allow people with similar experiences to rise beyond their circumstances."

Forever grateful for the endless support I received, I made it my mission to reciprocate it by raising money and awareness for the hospital and pediatric cancer non-profits.

Survivorship is moving past staying alive and truly living...Survivorship is appreciating the world more deeply, and helping others do the same.

I realized that I needed to separate my mind from my body. If I kept treating the two as one, I would be surviving to simply survive but not to truly live a life of fulfillment.

"The moment I became a survivor, I took the initiative to heal, and educate myself about cancer and how to fight it."

Because of the strengths that surviving cancer gave me, my freshman year was the greatest year of my life.

Looking back, my experiences with childhood cancer have taught me to always be inclusive and empathetic towards others.

I want to show other kids battling cancer they can still live life to the fullest and be normal kids; cancer doesn't define us.

I cannot say what my life would be like now if I had not battled cancer, but I can certainly say that the battle and its lessons have shaped my life significantly since. I do have scars, but I have grown as a person. Cancer did not kill me, and I am much stronger.

Cancer, paradoxically, strengthened a young man in love with life who aspires to conquer challenges and solve problems. I've applied this grit in many ways over the past decade and am ready to change the world.

I realize that I matured through my treatment and as I moved through survivorship. My eyes were opened to the hardships of others, and I became more empathetic for those going through what I now have behind me.

Survivorship is not only the way one gets through their cancer, but also the way they help others get through theirs.

This is what survivorship means to me; all of the lessons that cancer has taught me so that I could become a stronger person, ready to conquer anything life throws at me.

Surviving cancer has changed the goals I have for my education and my future career. More importantly, cancer has changed who I am. I am a survivor and I always will be!

Cancer helped me to see that I want to help people who are like me, and I have created my career path based on this. With guidance and positivity, I know I can make this goal and idea I was given a reality.

This world can take you, and any potential legacy, without any warning. What matters is how you spend your impermanence: either chasing after superficial numerical values that can't define a person or living each moment like it's your last and squeezing the life out of every drop of joy it can offer you.

When I doubted whether I could be stronger than this disease, the voice would cry out, "Fight it, conquer it, and live to tell your story."

My diagnosis does not define who I am, but it has changed my outlook on life and turned me into the person I am today.

My encounter with cancer ceased to be a negative experience as soon as I shifted my perspective. Armed with humor and hopefulness, I refashioned the hardships my illness bestowed upon me into tools that shared an optimistic outlook with others.

We cannot always control the obstacles in our path, but we can control the new direction we take onward.

"Perspective" is a word always present in my home. We see things differently than most. We don't sweat the small things, we celebrate them.

Survivorship to me is living your own truth. Living your life without any model, actor, or tv show telling you how to look.

If there is anything cancer has taught me, it is that our purpose here on earth is bigger than ourselves...Life is too short, and I know my fellow childhood cancer survivors understand this more than anyone else.

Because of my difficult experience, and the people that helped me through my illness, my ultimate goal is to help others around me.

The mindset around mental health in our society must adapt, so that we can help those who need it the most...I am so excited to be a part of the change. This is what survivorship means to me!