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Academy News: June 2005Associates receive 2,900+ scholarship applications, award 81 Out of nearly 3,000 applicants, the Associates to the AAAAI (Spouses & Friends) recently awarded 81 U.S. high school seniors affected by asthma with $43,200 in scholarships through their annual Award of Excellence Asthma Scholarship Program. The scholarships will provide 39 students with $1,000 scholarships and 42 students with $100 merit scholarships to support their college tuition and fees, and make a difference in the lives of students striving to reach their educational goals. “All of our 2005 scholarship applicants were exceptional young people and it was difficult to choose only 81 recipients,” said Virginia Fawcett, Associates Scholarship Program Chair. “We are pleased that we can recognize their accomplishments and support them in their next steps toward future success.” Since its inception in 1999, the program has awarded more than $150,000 in scholarships to hundreds of high school students across the United States through either $1,000 or $100 awards. More and more candidates apply every year. As part of the Associates’ ongoing effort to recognize these exceptional students, a special line item was added to the AAAAI dues forms so members could make a donation to support the program. The program is also funded, in part, through an unrestricted educational grant from sanofi-aventis. Following are several excerpts from applications for 2005 Associates to the AAAAI (Spouses & Friends) Award of Excellence Asthma Scholarship Program: “When I look back on my challenging, sometimes frightening struggle with asthma, I realize that the steps I took to conquer my condition were the same steps I followed in my race: I followed my race plan, ran smart, focused ahead, listened to the positive support of others, then finally gave it my all and sprinted for the finish line. I can’t imagine a better success story than that.” “The hardest thing to overcome with asthma is not the condition, rather it is how coaches and teachers misunderstand it.” “If I let asthma control my life and dictate what I can and cannot do, I would be giving in and giving up. Asthma has always been a part of my life, however, I have made it a small part that no longer controls who I am.” “Even though my asthma is very severe, I have not let asthma control my life. Optimism is by far the most significant coping skill I implement because it allows me to see the bright side to every situation. Asthma should not prevent me from doing the things I love, but the things I love should encourage me to keep control of my asthma.”
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