The nine recipients will each receive $10,000 towards their undergraduate or graduate studies.

Ortho Dermatologics announced the winners of the 2019 Aspire Higher scholarships. The nine recipients will each receive $10,000 towards their undergraduate or graduate studies.

The program, which since 2013 has granted more than $648,000 in scholarships to students who have been affected by dermatologic conditions. The Aspire Higher program recognizes students across a wide range of educational pursuits, with scholarships in three categories, including the Undergraduate Scholar Awards for those pursuing undergraduate degrees, the Graduate Scholar Awards for those pursuing graduate degrees, and the Today’s Woman Scholar Awards for mothers pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees.

 The 2019 Aspire Higher recipients are:

Undergraduate Scholar Award

Kayla Scott, Esmont, VA – North Carolina A&T State University

Robin Cadd, Sierra Madre, CA – University of Southern California

Stephanie Pham, Temecula, CA – Arizona State University


Graduate Scholar Award

Astrid Guevara, Baytown, TX – University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Maura Vrabel, Raleigh, NC – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and North Carolina State University College of Engineering

Saiaditya Badeti, Plainsboro, NJ – Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Today’s Woman Scholar Award

Caitlin Sanner, Wellington, CO – Front Range Community College

Camilla Marshall, Bowie, MD – Johns Hopkins University

Marissa Hunter, Vancouver, WA – California Baptist University

The 2019 honorees were selected from nearly 1,400 applications, based in part on essays sharing their experiences pursuing their education while living with a dermatologic condition. In these essays, applicants also shared the role their dermatologist, primary care physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner played in helping them reach their goals. The applications were judged by an independent panel of dermatologists from across the country. 

 “Thanks to this scholarship, I can now turn my experience with a painful skin disease into something positive and help others who are suffering through similar issues,” shares Astrid Guevara, a 2019 Aspire Higher Graduate Scholar student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “I can focus less on paying for medical school and more on becoming the best physician I can be for my patients and their families.”

“Through the Aspire Higher program, we’ve heard firsthand from students across the country about the challenges that often come with dermatologic conditions,” says Bill Humphries, president, Ortho Dermatologics, in a news release. “This year’s honorees are an inspiration for how they’ve faced these challenges and are a testament to the far-reaching impact dermatologists have when they help their patients resolve or manage skin conditions. We are proud to support these students with scholarships that will help them achieve their educational goals.”

 “Through my time serving on the judging panel of the Aspire Higher program, applicants continue to inspire me with their dedication to excel personally and academically,” says Adelaide A. Hebert, MD, a dermatologist at UT Physicians Dermatology at Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX. “Each application reminds me of why I am proud to be part of both the dermatology community and this initiative with Ortho Dermatologics, which gives students who have struggled with a skin condition a helping hand in achieving their academic aspirations.”