Scholarship Award: $5,000 - Serena S.
Serena S. is a sophomore at Bowling Green State University studying Inclusive Early Childhood Education. She plans to become an elementary teacher in Ohio, with a special passion for teaching first and second grade. Inspired by her family, CF care team, and experiences living with Cystic Fibrosis, Serena is committed to creating safe, nurturing classrooms where every student feels supported, valued, and empowered to succeed. She also plans to continue her education through a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction and a gifted education endorsement.
Serena is a dedicated advocate for the Cystic Fibrosis community and for people whose voices are often overlooked. Through the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Teen Advocacy Day and a Capitol Hill internship, she has spoken with members of Congress about affordable healthcare, research funding, and inclusion. These experiences strengthened her confidence and reinforced her goal of being a lifelong advocate—for the CF community, her future students, and others in need of support.
Scholarship Award: $3,000 - Nancy O.
Living with Cystic Fibrosis has shaped Nancy’s life in profound ways, building her resilience, purpose, and determination. After years of unexplained symptoms, she was diagnosed at age fourteen following a life-threatening health crisis. Receiving the right care transformed her health and showed her the importance of accurate diagnosis and compassionate healthcare. Her childhood in Mexico, the support of her family, and her move to the United States at age eleven have also strengthened her adaptability, independence, and connection to her culture.
Today, she balances daily treatments with school and work while pursuing a career in Health Information Management. She plans to earn her Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) and medical coding credentials and build a flexible remote or hybrid career that supports both her health and professional goals. Cystic fibrosis is part of her story, but it does not define her limits—it has motivated her to continue learning, care for herself, build a future with her partner, and make a positive impact in healthcare.
Scholarship Award: $2,000 - Alexa H.
Alexa has found that living with Cystic Fibrosis often means managing an invisible illness publicly while handling treatments privately, a tension that has grown harder in college. Yet the defining triumph came when, after her training faltered and she nearly gave up her registration for a 5K race, she stood at the starting line and felt an unexpected surge of energy and motivation. She ran the entire race—proving that she can achieve anything she sets her mind to despite her Cystic Fibrosis. Thus inspiring plans for her to tackle a 10K the following year.
While pursuing a PharmD degree with the steady support of close friends, she refuses to let the disease define her, choosing instead to live with gratitude for every relationship and opportunity and facing the future ready for whatever it brings.
She feels that has so much life left to live, and she plans to treasure every moment. She often finds herself reflecting that she never would have been able to guess all of the hardships and blessings that she encountered throughout the last year. The lessons she has learned over this past year has shown her that she is ready for whatever life has to throw at her.
Scholarship Award: $5,000 - Grace L.
Cystic Fibrosis has shaped Grace’s life—physically, mentally, and socially—but its greatest gift has been the unyielding resolve it instilled in her. From a young age, she faced the realities of chronic illness, yet refused to let it define her. In fifth grade, despite battling an infection, she ran a race with grit that foreshadowed her future. For six years, she competed in cross country and track, earning state medals and setting a school record, proving she could surpass expectations. Even without medals to chase, Grace ran 600 miles last year, driven purely by self-motivation.
This same tenacity sustained her through a challenging year when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Despite being seven hours away at college, Grace balanced school, health routines, and work to support her mom, just as she’s always shown up for those she loves. Her mother’s resilience, creativity, and devotion to others have inspired Grace to pursue a graphic design degree with the same passion and grit that CF has taught her. Her mother’s example serves as a daily reminder to keep showing up—for herself and others—with empathy, purpose, and unwavering resolve.
Scholarship Award: $3,000 - Reagan L.
Inspired by a preacher’s call to “use me” at church camp, Reagan felt a divine pull toward ministry, driven by her passion for mental health advocacy and helping others navigate life’s challenges. As someone with cystic fibrosis, she understands the mental toll of chronic illness, fueling her desire to create safe spaces for healing through a career in ministry. She plans to study Christian Studies at Hardin-Simmons University to build a foundation in theology and service, while her involvement in 4-H, including roles as a Healthy Texas Youth Ambassador and Advisory Council member, has honed her leadership and public speaking skills to advocate for mental health and wellbeing.
Scholarship Award: $2,000 - Reagan B.
Reagan’s ultimate goal is to become a lifelong author, writing novels across genres like fantasy, romance, and mystery—mainly for young adults—while raising awareness about cystic fibrosis (CF) and cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) through her stories. She’s passionate about creating flawed, relatable characters, many of whom live with disabilities or mental illness, and she especially enjoys writing meaningful, wholesome relationships. Inspired by her supportive family and friends, she’s pursuing a creative writing degree to sharpen her skills, publish her first novel in college, contribute to her university’s literary magazine, and learn about marketing to understand the business side of publishing. Reagan also plans to explore courses outside of her major—like art, psychology, and theatre—to broaden her perspective. Living with CF has shaped her in every way: it has challenged her physically, especially in theater and athletics, but also has fueled her determination and empathy. Despite her size and health limitations, she earned a varsity spot on her high school cross country team, helping them reach state finals while running with a lung infection. These experiences have taught her resilience, and she uses that perspective in her writing to help others feel seen. But above all, CF has given Reagan purpose—to write, to inspire, and to prove that she is more than just her disease.
Scholarship Award: $5,000 - John P.
John is a confident and reflective individual who uses his experience with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) to inspire and educate others. Despite the challenges of living with a chronic illness, John has honed his strong communication skills, particularly through public speaking and debate, and served as the Heart of America Chapter’s Great Strides Ambassador at CF fundraising events, sharing both his difficulties and hope of living with CF.
While CF has shaped his life, he doesn’t let it define him. Growing up, he managed his condition with a sense of normalcy, though he became more aware of his differences over time. Moments like hospital visits and seeing memorials for others with CF highlight the gravity of his condition, yet he is grateful for medical advancements like Trikafta that has improved his life.
With plans to attend Harvard and study statistics, he aims to use his skills to create meaningful change. Supported by a strong community of family and friends who see beyond his diagnosis, he embraces his unique journey and is determined to make an impact through advocacy and resilience.
Scholarship Award: $3,000 - Samantha P.
Navigating life with CF, particularly during her first year of college and being away from home for the first time, Samantha experienced both physical and mental health challenges. Her newfound independence caused her a lot of stress as she learned to balance her medical needs, academics, and personal life. This period eventually led to personal growth, self-discovery, and sparked a realization that CF, while a major obstacle, would not define her. Instead, she used it as a motivation to pursue her passions and goals.
Samantha is studying psychology, criminal justice, and sociology with the goal of supporting people with rare genetic diseases and marginalized individuals, such as criminals. She is driven by a strong sense of purpose and the desire to make the world a better place, using her education and experiences to help others overcome their own obstacles. She is determined to not let CF hold her back and is actively working to achieve her aspirations, both personally and professionally. She wants to make a lasting impact on the world by improving mental health and offering support to those who often struggle to receive it.
Scholarship Award: $2,000 - Victoria M.
Victoria is a highly resilient, determined, and deeply introspective individual. Navigating life with Cystic Fibrosis has profoundly impacted her physical and emotional experiences. Despite these challenges, she has a powerful drive to pursue education and professional goals, especially in the field of psychology, where she aims to help children and others with behavioral challenges. Victoria’s connection to her brother, who has autism, highlights her empathy and insight into human resilience and personal growth.
Victoria is also striving for independence. She is deeply motivated by the desire to earn her way through life, believing that personal agency is crucial for their sense of purpose and self-worth. She has acknowledged the difficulties she faces but shows a persistent commitment to moving forward, even when setbacks and uncertainties threaten to derail her progress.
Scholarship Award: $5,000 - Emma G.
Emma has had a passion for art and design since a young age and it has always been her dream to become a graphic designer. Not long ago, she even started her own small graphic design business in order to start building a design portfolio for college. So as you can see, she hasn’t been sitting back and waiting for her dreams to come true, she has been putting her plans into motion to make her dreams a reality. Her business has now grown much more than she could have ever imagined, but she is also grateful that she is able to receive experience in her future career field while also making money to save for college. After college, she hopes to begin a job in the business side of graphic design, working for a branding agency and helping build brands for companies.
She is currently a freshman at Northeast Alabama Community College but has plans to transfer to the University of Montevallo in the fall of 2023 to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree with a concentration in graphic design and a minor in marketing. She is excited to receive higher education in her dream career field.
Scholarship Award: $2,500 - Grace L.
Growing up with Cystic Fibrosis, Grace was a stubborn and determined individual who wanted to accomplish everything this disease told her she could not do. Everything that had an athletic or adventurous tinge to it, grabbed her attention. She did dance, soccer, gymnastics, and hiking, but joining track years ago ignited a passion within her. She started the sport despite her CF and didn’t want it to define what she could or couldn’t do or who she would be. As she continued to run, it became a symbol of strength, positivity, and hope. Rather than running to create a notion that CF didn’t affect her, she used running as a blueprint for how to fight this lifelong battle. The lessons learned from endurance in long-distance running are easily applicable to this chronic illness. She looks at life a lot like a race in that way; not one with other people, though. This race is her attempting to beat her own records and striving to be the best she can be. When life gets hard or CF takes a toll on her health, she can’t just stop in the middle of the race. She thinks of those moments as the hills during a run - you lean in a little more, swing your arms a little harder, and make your strides a little longer. She has learned to love the hills in cross country because they can show you how strong and capable you are even if you didn’t believe it before making it to the top. Running is more than just an action for her; it is a reason to push herself harder up the hills.
The perseverance that she has gained from CF has not only been applied to sports but has been incorporated into every aspect of her life. Lung infections and general illnesses that are amplified by CF have taken her out in the middle of races from the lack of oxygen, but they did not stop her from getting back on the line the next meet. This determination has led her to tackle large goals that she had set for herself including holding her school’s 5k record, qualifying at state in track and cross country for three consecutive years, and being a five-time state medalist. This proves that there is always hope in a tough and unforgiving situation.