St. Charles Student Awarded Marianjoy Hospital Scholarship

From Northwestern Medicine: Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, part of Northwestern Medicine, awarded scholarships to three Kane County students for the upcoming academic year. The scholarships support young men and women with disabilities to help them pursue educational programs at accredited two or four-year colleges and universities, or vocational technical schools in the United States.Applicants are evaluated on a variety of metrics, including their academic success, community involvement, financial circumstances, educational goals, and the impact of their disability on the educational process.

Daniel Oster, of Batavia

Oster is pursuing an English degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A James Scholar in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Oster is also a teaching assistant in a class for incoming freshman students with disabilities. He is a copy-editor for the university’s undergraduate literary criticism journal as well as an usher at the local fine arts center in Champaign. As cerebral palsy has impacted Daniel’s life, he hopes to show others that nothing has the power to prevent you from doing what you’re passionate about.

Melissa Lewis, of St. Charles

Despite the physical pain she experiences daily from hip dysplasia, Lewis is committed to working hard to achieve success. A true steward of her community, Lewis has been recognized with the St. Charles East Human Relations Award four years in a row, along with the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award. Lewis is attending the University of Richmond with the goal of becoming a veterinarian and owning her own clinic one day.

Michael Bermes, of Aurora

Bermes, who is attending Northern Illinois University, received the Marianjoy Auxiliary Scholar award. Diagnosed at age 6 with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Bermes has not and will not let his diagnosis prevent him from achieving success. After earning an Associate’s Degree from Waubonsie Community College with honors, Michael is currently working towards his Bachelor’s Degree Liberal Arts and Science at Northern Illinois University.

Image via Northwestern Medicine