Meet the 2022 Scholars

"2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the AbbVie CF Scholarship. As we celebrate this milestone, we look forward to continuing to recognize more students pursing their educational goals. Please share your future ambitions in the Cystic Fibrosis community, professionally and personally."

I used to believe that accomplishments and goals were the purpose of life. I grew up always being the go-getter and pursued my goals no matter what the cost was. However, this lifestyle, I later learned, entirely misses the purpose of having goals. Ambition to achieve is corrupted when the accomplishment is more intensely desired than the personal growth that such an experience extends. Furthermore, my definition of success used to be dependent on whether I was crossing items off my lists or not. Now, I believe success is becoming the best person I can be through being intentional with time and effort. My new goals have shifted from once wanting to have a certain title behind my name, a number of square footage in my future home, or even the level of education I attain. As I have gotten older my Cystic Fibrosis has served me in this manner: it teaches me what really matters in life and it does not allow me to be caught up in material things like I used to.

This insight has not encouraged me to abandon having ambition all together- rather it has taught me to reposition my ambition for causes far beyond myself. First and most of all, I would like to be considered a leader. Within the Cystic Fibrosis community and beyond to any life-threatening condition, I hope to raise awareness and support of those with medical conditions within the professional business realm I have chosen to dive into. I hope that through my daily interactions with others, mundane as some might be, that I can be a light to those outside the disabled or medically restricted community too as I demonstrate sincere joy and care for others in the midst of personal struggle.

My desire to be a great worker and to climb the professional ladder has remained constant, but my reason has changed. Rather than pursuing the status, title, or compensation, my desire to get to the top comes from realizing that the best way to lead the way for others is from the front. Therefore, I plan to graduate from Florida State University in December with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, as well as one in management. Then, I plan to get my master’s degree in Business Analytics. With these in hand, along with being equipped from years of interning and gaining hands on experience, I plan to enter the business realm with sights set on the top. Growing up volunteering at nonprofits has instilled in me a passion to run one someday, so I can use my story in my work to hopefully better the lives of others.

I am sure as opportunities arise and doors are opened, I will continuously adopt new goals as I accomplish current ones and look forward to serving others in whatever capacity they lead me to take on.