Ortho Dermatologics announced the nine recipients of the Aspire Higher Scholarship program, which honors the achievements of applicants or current attendees of an accredited, nonprofit, two- or four-year college, university, or advanced (post-high school) vocational or technical school who have been treated for a dermatologic condition. 

The nine honorees were chosen from a pool of 2,179 applicants and will each receive $10,000 toward their education.

“Ortho Dermatologics is proud to help these outstanding individuals achieve their educational goals through our annual scholarship program,” says Bill Humphries, executive vice president and group company chairman, Ortho Dermatologics, in a news release. “Beyond the challenging demands of their schooling, these students have also had to overcome the difficulties of living with a problematic skin condition such as eczema, psoriasis, ichthyosis and acne. We applaud their aspirations and their determination.”

 The nine recipients of the 2017 Aspire Higher scholarship program are:

Undergraduate student winners - for students pursuing an undergraduate degree.

·       Jordan Johnson of Friendswood, Texas, who will attend the University of Arkansas

·       Robert (Robby) Ruffolo of Dayton, Ohio, who will attend the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill)

·       Meredith Richards of Kinderhook, New York, who is currently enrolled at Utah State University

Graduate student winners - for students pursuing a graduate degree.

·       Madeline Gore of Lakeville, Minnesota, who will attend Loyola University of Chicago

·       Braden Candela of Rochester, New York, who  is currently enrolled at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry

·       Shulei (Shelley) Chen of Walnut, California, who is currently enrolled at UC Berkeley – UCSF Joint Medical Program

Today’s Woman Scholar winners - for students who are mothers and pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree.

·       Amy Feldman of South Jordan, Utah, who is currently enrolled at Brigham Young University

·       Bianca Bzdel of Mill Valley, CA, who is currently enrolled at the University of California Davis

·       Carine Henderson of Sandy, Utah, who has been accepted to the graduate program at Brigham Young University

To apply for the scholarship, applicants were asked to submit an essay discussing how their dermatologic condition, and the subsequent treatment received by their dermatologist, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner, has impacted their life.  A panel of judges consisting of dermatologists from across the country reviewed each of the applications and chose the nine honorees. 

Since 2013, the Aspire Higher scholarship program has awarded 23 scholarships to students across the country. The 2018 program will begin accepting applications in early 2018.