About Our Scholarships:
Founded in 2022, the Fighting H.A.R.D. Foundation Scholarship Program aims to acknowledge senior students at Howell High School who battle a rare disease and who stand out as dedicated volunteers for Fighting H.A.R.D. Foundation and the Howell High School chapter of the Fighting H.A.R.D. Club. The Rare Disease Warrior Scholarship is awarded to a committee-chosen senior who has a rare disease and is choosing to continue their education at a 2 or 4 year university. The Outstanding Volunteer Scholarship is awarded to committee-chosen volunteers who have gone above and beyond for the Fighting H.A.R.D. Foundation and Fighting H.A.R.D. Club. Winners are chosen via our amazing Scholarship Committee and the awards are presented at the Howell High School Senior Award Night held annually in June. We had committee member Jaclyn Murray and Fighting H.A.R.D. kiddo LJ Hansen at the 2022 ceremony to help us present the awards, making the night even more special! We hope to continue expanding this program to more students, more awards, and more schools with time. Thank you for supporting this program so we can acknowledge these outstanding seniors!
Scholarship Night Speaker: Kaylee Mescal
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Fighting HARD rockstar Kaylee and her service dog Chance did an outstanding job presenting our Warrior Scholarship and our Outstanding Volunteer Scholarship! It was incredible to see how far Kaylee has come since her diagnosis and how she continues to give back to the community!
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Scholarship Recipients: 2024
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The Rare Disease Warrior Scholarship is awarded to a senior who has been impacted by rare disease and has turned their experience into a positive one. Kaitlyn Bonilla was this year's recipient. Kaitlyn was able to turn her journey with a rare condition into a passion for helping others, whivh she has demonstrated through her involvement in many community organizations and will continue to do by studying psychology at Ramapo College of New Jersey. She plans to attend medical school and become a child psychiatrist! Congratulations and keep Fighting H.A.R.D.!
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Sarah Tomkovich was this year's Outstanding Volunteer Scholarship recipient! Sarah has gone above and beyond for Fighting H.A.R.D. both in and out of school. She has managed over 120 active volunteers, created and execute monthly agendas and PowerPoints, facilitated Howell High School’s Cards for Smiles campaign which has sent over 500 cards, managed the Rare Disease Day campaign and allow the entire school community to be involved, and completed over 100 hours of service with events. We can't wait to see all that she does at University of Tampa and beyond!
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Scholarship Recipients: 2023
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Rare Disease Warrior Scholarship
The Rare Disease Warrior Scholarship is awarded to a senior who has been impacted by rare disease and has turned their experience into a positive one. This year’s recipient said in her essay “Something I can say is that it always does get better” and that “this has shown me that there is much more for me out there in the world”. She has demonstrated the kind of optimism that is at the core of the Fighting H.A.R.D. community. She will be attending Georgian Court University in the fall for nursing! I am proud to announce that our Fighting H.A.R.D. Rare Disease Warrior Scholarship was awarded to Alexa LaRosa.
Congratulations, Alexa! |
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Outstanding Volunteer Scholarship
The recipient of this scholarship has done exceptional volunteering over the past four years. She has contributed over 40 hours of service since joining the Fighting H.A.R.D. club at Howell High School and is always striving to make a difference in her community through multiple organizations. In her essay, she stated, “I am able to go on this journey with the kids and make it brighter, and being able to see these children and their bright smiles is my passion”. She not only took a leadership position on the club’s board, but also has spearheaded the Cards for Smiles campaign, created flyers for awareness, and has attended Fighting H.A.R.D. events like our annual golf outing. Now, we hope that she will take Fighting H.A.R.D. with her to the University of Miami as she continues her studies. We are proud to announce that the recipient of our Outstanding Volunteer and Advocacy Award is Catherine Blackford.
Congratulations, Catherine! |
Scholarship Recipients: 2022
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Rare Disease Warrior Scholarship
The winner of our 2022 Rare Disease Warrior Scholarship was Jaclyn Konish. This award is in the amount of $1,000. In her essay, Jaclyn wrote about her experience as both a sibling of someone with a rare disease, as well as her own battle with a rare rheumatic disease. Instead of focusing on the challenges she faces on a daily basis, she writes about how her experiences are constantly motivating her to give back to the community. Jaclyn has immersed herself in volunteerism for multiple organizations, including Howell High School's Make-A-Wish Club and the Fighting H.A.R.D. Club - taking on leadership positions in both of these groups. Her goal is to help others to smile and to know they are not alone, making her a true inspiration and a perfect selection for this award. She is continuing her education at Monmouth University. Congratulations, Jaclyn! |
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Outstanding Volunteer Scholarship
One of the winners of our 2022 Outstanding Volunteer Scholarship was Chelsea Berwick. This award is in the amount of $500. In her essay, Chelsea wrote about how her experience with a rare disease has inspired her to get more involved with volunteerism and to be less afraid of sharing her story. In her time at Howell High School, she put in countless hours for the Fighting H.A.R.D. Club on top of her impressive academics and other extracurriculars. She expresses that she is excited to continue her volunteer work into college at The College of New Jersey and beyond. Congratulations, Chelsea! |
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Outstanding Volunteer Scholarship
The second winner of our 2022 Outstanding Volunteer Scholarship was Nicholas Nieves. This award is in the amount of $500. In his essay, Nick talks about how Fighting H.A.R.D. Foundation and the Howell High School's Fighting H.A.R.D. Club helped to open his eyes to the ways he can make a difference in his community. He recounts a story about how one of his cards he sent out as part of the Cards for Smiles Initiative made a huge impact. Fighting H.A.R.D. Kiddo LJ received his card with detailed drawings of his favorite characters and a thoughtful note, and his mom posted on social media as a big thank-you for putting so much time and effort into his cards. She noted that LJ keeps this card in his room for his HARD days. Nick wrote about how LJ's response motivated him to keep on spreading positivity through volunteerism. He plans to continue his work at Clemson University and beyond. Congratulations, Nick! |