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."

The saying “everything happens for a reason” was hard for me to believe the majority of my life. I always felt that bad things happen for no reason and those of us who get dealt the worst components of life are stuck dealing with it. That was until my cystic fibrosis (CF) diagnosis helped me realize my dream career was to become a nurse. Being diagnosed with CF at birth, I experienced countless hospital stays that sometimes lasted weeks. Lucky for me, I had amazing nurses taking care of me and they are my biggest inspiration for pursuing a career in nursing. This fall I will begin earning my associates degree in nursing at Bluegrass Community Technical College (BCTC) in Lexington, Kentucky. After completing my associates degree, I will transfer to the University of Kentucky to further my education in the nursing program. I want to be able to make an impact in the lives of my patients as they did for me. I know first hand how important a nurse is to treating both the physical and mental wounds while in the hospital. My CF caregivers helped me overcome my fears and push through the hardest times while fighting my disease. I will also continue to strive to be a positive CF community role model. I was fortunate enough to attend Teen Advocacy Day in 2021 virtually on behalf of the Kentucky/West Virginia CF Chapter. I normally cannot attend indoor events and only get to do Great Strides and other outdoor fundraisers. Getting the chance to speak with our congressmen makes me want to find more ways to get involved and tell my CF story. My ambitions are to teach others more about cystic fibrosis and help others like myself to cope with the ups and downs of the disease. I plan to continue fundraising and striving for a cure by showing everyone that CF didn't stop me from reaching my goals. At times it will be difficult, however I know I can persevere through the obstacles that come with this career. With the great programs BCTC and the University of Kentucky have to offer I should have no problem following my dream of helping others. What better way to advocate than to lead by example. CF and nursing have shown me that "everything happens for a reason."