Meet 2019 Scholar Amelia

Our College Scholars receive a financial scholarship to help with academic expenses, and each scholar commits to undertaking a volunteer project of their choosing related to childhood cancer advocacy, with support and mentorship from the Children's Cancer Cause team.

“It may be hard for our voices to be heard individually, but together we are a powerful group of uniquely strong and insightful young people. We can survive and thrive together, as a community, better than we can alone.”

Amelia’s Story

Amelia was an 18-year-old freshman at William & Mary when she suddenly found herself thrust into the world of cancer with a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Amelia encountered significant hurdles as a cancer patient in a university environment — there was no comprehensive medical leave policy and no survivorship support groups. She had to delay her education to undergo chemo and radiation.

After achieving remission, she returned to school with a new host of challenges: “a crippling fear of relapse, concerns about insurance coverage, and trouble focusing in school as a side effect of my medications.”

She also experienced social isolation - “my friends were at a loss for how to deal with something so grave at our age” - but she eventually found others on campus who were managing chronic diseases.

In the fall of 2019, Amelia began her graduate studies at George Washington’s Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Amelia’s Advocacy Project:

Amelia formed a new student group on campus, which is a support group but also an advocacy network that works to tackle policies around medical leave, student accessibility, and student health resources — finding solutions to the same problems that plagued her as a patient and student.

“This project is important to me because I have nothing like this in my life now,” says Amelia, describing the challenges of transitioning from pediatric to adult care. “It is difficult to heal in isolation and it is essential that we meet the growing needs of young survivors. We need to expand our resources to help the growing number of childhood cancer survivors thrive as they move into adult lives.”

December 2021 Update:

Amelia celebrated five years of remission in the summer of 2021! “I also graduated with my MPH degree from the George Washington University and began working as a Clinical Research Coordinator with the University of Colorado,” says Amelia. “I’m really grateful for the chance to work on clinical trials, as I know how important they can be for patients with chronic disease, including cancer.”