Jack played high school volleyball and served with the junior fire department. He hopes to become an engineer.
Donovan played saxophone, competed as a wrestler, performed theater, and reached a 4.02 GPA in high school. In college, he’s pursuing marketing and management.
Kaitlyin tutored foster care students while in high school and ran an online fashion business. She plans to become a neurosurgeon.
Delaney played varsity volleyball and loves art. She aims to play volleyball for her college, where she’ll also study animation.
What do these young people have in common? Well, high school success, for one. It’s difficult not to notice how driven each one of them is to pursue their dreams.
All four students also have narcolepsy, and all three students—plus 11 more—received the 2016 Jack and Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship.
I spent some time reading more about this scholarship, and here’s what I found:
- It’s the “first of its kind”—that is, a national scholarship program for students diagnosed with narcolepsy.
- Beyond rewarding these students, the program brings awareness of narcolepsy to high school and college environments.
- Since 2014, the program has distributed 25 scholarships.
- It grew from a partnership between the Graham family and the founder of Project Sleep, a nonprofit organization.
These students deserve celebration.
Narcolepsy can affect all aspects of life, and I have no doubt studying, competing, and succeeding while managing narcolepsy is challenging. The Project Sleep site also discussed how narcolepsy is under-diagnosed, and that’s why awareness through things like this scholarship is so important.
Here’s the good news: There’s still time to apply!
Due April 1, 2017, applications to the Jack and Julie Narcolepsy Scholarship are available here.
And this year, Project Sleep plans to award $1,000 to five deserving seniors.
You can also donate to Project Sleep and the scholarship program here.
