Meet our Stewart Scholars
The annual Stewart Scholarship is presented to a survivor who demonstrates exceptional potential to make a positive difference in the world. Read their stories here.
This top scholarship is named in honor of John and Nancy Stewart, founders of our Stewart Initiative for Childhood Cancer Survivors.
2025 : Dustin
Dustin was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) at age 17, his senior year of high school. He finished treatment just before starting college at Northwestern University, where he’s studying computer science and mathematics.
Dustin is passionate about improving the quality of survivorship for children with T-ALL by developing a predictive model for blood cell counts during maintenance chemotherapy.
“My ultimate goal is to help ensure that future cancer survivors can live full and healthier lives. Survivorship can and should be a time of thriving, not just surviving.”
2024 : Devan
Devan was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia when he was 20 months old — with a relapse at age four. Today, he’s studying Biophysics and Global Health & Health Policy at Harvard University.
Driven by his own experience and understanding of global health inequities, Devan is now an advocate for the urgent medical needs of Ukrainian children with cancer.
As our 2024 Stewart Scholar, Devan met with Congressional champions, the Ukrainian ambassador, and the State Department, and he raised tens of thousands of dollars to help Ukrainian children with cancer receive treatment in the U.S.
2023 : Dahlia
Dahlia was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) during her senior year of high school.
Dahlia would spend a total of eleven months in treatment at the hospital and suffered grueling side effects like intestinal bleeding, multiple lung issues including a collapsed lung, and bleeding inside of her eyes that caused her to go blind for the last six months of treatment.
Because Dahlia knows firsthand how isolating cancer treatment can be for a teenager, she wants to help others going through a similar experience. For her volunteer project, Dahlia produced a podcast series aimed at helping teens understand how to be most supportive to a friend with cancer.
2022 : Francesca
Francesca, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when she was 15 years old. “While my initial surgery and radiation was largely successful, I had persistent residual disease for over ten years,” Francesca told us.
Her experience with cancer inspired her to pursue a career in medicine, with a goal of one day becoming a pediatric oncologist with her own research lab.
For her Children’s Cancer Cause volunteer project, Francesca partnered with Be The Match to host a campus bone marrow drive at Stanford. The event was a big success, enrolling approximately 45 new potential donors from diverse ethnic backgrounds into the national marrow registry.