Meet Aria
2026 Scholar
Ewing’s Sarcoma Survivor
Thanks to a generous survivorship program grant from Hyundai Hope On Wheels, twenty-three survivors were welcomed into the 2026 Children’s Cancer Cause College Scholars Program, representing both organizations’ strong investment in survivors and belief in their bright futures.
Each of these students 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.
Aria was diagnosed with a very rare Ewing’s sarcoma in the skull when she was just 10 years old.
Over the next year, she underwent intensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Surgery included a full craniotomy.
The late effects she’s left with include heart disease, kidney disease, permanent hair loss, liver disease, and mental health challenges.
Today, she’s a passionate advocate, volunteer, and fundraiser for childhood cancer causes, and she’s planning to study mathematics at Kent State University.
“I first got into advocacy after treatment when I continued to get better as my friends continued to get worse,” she told us. “I saw so much grief, but I knew I had a voice.”
Aria’s Advocacy Project
Aria partnered with Angelworks to help secure $5 million in the Ohio budget for the first time in 2026.
One of her advocacy goals is to see that funding renewed and expanded in the 2027 state budget. She will continue meeting with lawmakers and speaking up at the statehouse, and she hopes to also bring her advocacy to campus when she begins her college journey.
“As a survivor, it is my honor and responsibility to speak for kids who did not survive,” she says. “Their voices have been silenced. My voice will not be silenced.”
