Boomer Esiason Foundation to Award $150,000 in Scholarships
The Boomer Esiason Foundation is awarding $150,000 in scholarships to students within the cystic fibrosis (CF) community who want to pursue higher education in the U.S.
To win one of the 15 grants worth $10,000 each, applications must be submitted on this online form by the April 29 deadline. Any questions should be directed to [email protected].
All applicants must attend a U.S. college or university and have a diagnosis of CF or be a sibling or child of someone living with CF.
Besides the application form, other documents are required: a doctor’s letter confirming the CF diagnosis and its therapeutic routines, a transcript showing the courses taken and grades earned at school, and a breakdown of tuition costs from the academic institution (for prospective students only). A W2 form for both parents or a tax return form (if the applicant is self-employed) is also required.
Winners will be chosen based on demonstrated need, academic achievements, personality, leadership skills, and work for the community’s benefit. People with CF are among the committee members making the decisions.
Shortlisted applicants will then have a phone interview with a committee member.
As part of the process, applicants will have the option to write a long-form essay that answers a specific question related to one of six different scholarship designations. By writing the essay, applicants will be placed automatically into the pool of candidates who will get moved forward in the selection for additional financial support.
One of the designations is the Bonnie Strangio Memorial, awarded to a student “who has an upbeat personality and ‘can-do’ attitude, and shows a tremendous passion for life in achieving their goals despite battling CF,” according to the scholarship’s website.
The Rosemary Quigley Memorial will be awarded to a student who is unwilling to let CF restrict the progress of learning. This is “a student who has a passion for academics and an interest in the medical field and or in health policy and law.”
Students winning the Jerry Cahill You Cannot Fail Distinction are “on a path to discover their own heroism, embrace the ups and downs of their life’s journey, make a difference by sharing that journey with others, and celebrate the stories that make them unique.”
Students winning the Lea Faraone Memorial are “willing to to live their lives on their own terms.” The designation was made in honor of Lea Faraone, who loved to travel and was an advocate for the CF community.
The Team Boomer Distinction will be awarded to a student who engages in sports and sees the benefits of exercise on CF.
Finally, the Exemplary Graduate Student Distinction will be granted to a graduate student with CF. “Applicants should be well-rounded and have a will to learn and achieve at the highest possible standard. Lastly, we hope applicants are open with their disease and willing to discuss it with the people around them.”
The scholarship program was created in July 2003 as a means of financial support to students within the CF community. To date, the program has awarded over $3 million in scholarships to students from all 50 states plus some foreign students studying in the U.S., its website states.
Honoring a person without CF, the Paul Drury Memorial CF Sibling Scholarship will be granted to undergraduate or graduate students who have a sibling with CF and a demonstrated role in caring and supporting their brother or sister. The deadline for these applications is Oct. 7.
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