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 Cystic Fibrosis community has given me everything. While people see the tragic fight of growing up with Cystic Fibrosis, they don’t recognize the continuous support of the CF community that keeps hope ignited for struggling patients. Looking forward to a future of college and career opportunities I can’t help but look back and thank all the doctors and the CF community that have helped me beat the life expectancies, maintain my health, and now attend a university. One thing I aspire to do is incorporate a study of healthcare and medicine into my Finance major. I have seen first hand the cost of medical bills and the strain that CF families are put through just to acquire needed medicine and would like to help change that. I will work to use a degree in Finance to try and support the CF community by finding more affordable healthcare solutions and better medical opportunities to those in need. Additionally, when I was growing up in the CF community and health center one of the major things that helped me was seeing notes and updates from older patients with CF. Not being able to personally know others with CF because of the risk of bacteria transfer was isolating and I would love to personally help contact kids growing up with CF to provide support and encouragement to them so that they know they aren’t alone. I believe that with all the new virtual communication programs that became available due to the pandemic, it would be very possible to become a part of, or start a program that allows people with CF to connect. I know that Cystic Fibrosis affects patients, not only physically, but also mentally and want to help provide support to this community in any way I can. Now that I have reached the end of my pediatric CF care I want to do all I can to give back to the community that has given me so much and continues to support me. Having to grow up with CF had its lows, but being able to simultaneously grow up with such a loving and devoted community has been such a blessing and prepared me for life with CF in the best way possible.