College scholarships for high school students living with diabetes

High school students living with diabetes face a unique set of challenges when it comes to applying to college.   And organizations such as the American Diabetes Association, the Joslin Diabetes Center, and the College Diabetes Network (CDN) work hard to provide information and tools with which students may evaluate the quality of services and support available on campus for this population of young adults.

In fact, the College Diabetes Network has taken the need for greater information-sharing a step further by creating a network of colleges with CDN Chapters, enabling students to connect with one another about diabetes, learn about the latest diabetes technology, and exchange tips for managing diabetes on campus.

But one aspect of the college experience that isn’t unique to students with diabetes is the need for financial resources to cover the increasing costs of education. 

The Diabetes Scholars Foundation scholarship program was created to support high school seniors with Type 1 diabetes seeking higher education at an accredited four-year university, college, technical or trade school.

These scholarships specifically recognize students who are actively involved in the diabetes community, who have high academic performance, who participate in extracurricular activities, and who have demonstrated they are successfully managing the challenge of living with diabetes.

The following is a partial list of the scholarships currently available through the Foundation: 

• The Lilly Diabetes Tomorrow’s Leaders Scholarship: Eleven scholarships at $5,000 each, five scholarships at $4,000 each and five scholarships at $3,000 each will be awarded to incoming freshmen with Type 1 diabetes.
• Novo Nordisk Scholarship:  Five $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to incoming freshmen with Type 1 diabetes
• Jay Cutler Athletic Scholarship:  Six $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to incoming freshmen with Type 1 diabetes who will be playing a competitive sport in college.  In honor of the Jackie Robinson West Little League Team, one $7,500 scholarship will be awarded to an incoming freshman with Type 1 diabetes and playing college basketball and one $7,500 scholarship to an incoming freshmen with Type 1 diabetes and playing college softball.
• Type 1 for 66 years:  Two $5,000 scholarships will be awarded randomly to incoming freshmen with Type 1 diabetes
• The Jay Franke Scholarship:  Two $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to incoming freshmen with Type 1 diabetes and  pursuing an arts degree (music, theatre, dance).
• Kara Podjasek Nursing Scholarship:   One $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to an incoming freshman with Type 1 diabetes and  pursuing a nursing degree.
• The Nicky Randazzo Memorial Scholarship:  One $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to an incoming freshman with Type 1 diabetes and majoring in business.
• Gaspari Science Scholarship:  One $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to an incoming freshmen with Type 1 diabetes and pursing a science major (pre-med, biology, chemistry etc.).

Diabetes Scholars Foundation scholarships are not based on financial need.

High school seniors with Type 1 diabetes are asked to complete an online application which includes several essays and which must be submitted no later than April 15, 2015.

For more information, visit the Diabetes Scholars Foundation website.