Manchester Individual is Recipient of Shire ADHD Scholarship

Shire, a global specialty biopharmaceutical company, is pleased to announce that Callie Lack, a resident of Manchester, is a recipient of a 2012 ADHD Scholarship. Fifty individuals diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) going on to higher education were selected from 1,437 applicants across the United States.  A graduate of Parkway South Senior High School who will be attending Bradley University, Lack was selected on the basis of her community service, volunteer and extra-curricular activities, and response to a personal essay explaining how ADHD has impacted her life. The essay explained the challenges that the applicant has faced and how she is managing her ADHD.

The Scholarship includes a $2,000 monetary award and a prepaid year of ADHD coaching services. The Edge Foundation provides the ADHD coaching services. The ADHD coaching services are intended to assist the recipients with their pursuit of higher education. For more information on the program, please see www.ShireADHDScholarship.com.

“We received thousands of applications from inspiring individuals with ADHD who are pursuing higher education,” said Michael Yasick, Senior Vice President of Shire’s ADHD business. “Lack exemplifies the values that Shire associates with the ADHD Scholarship Program—passion, determination and positive attitudes. We’re proud to recognize and provide her with both tuition assistance and ADHD coaching services to help her continue her educational pursuits.”

Included in the ADHD coaching services are weekly sessions with specially-trained ADHD coaches who are passionate about their work.  The students set weekly goals and action plans to meet those goals and have e-mail and phone support from their coaches to help keep them on track. This support may be important for students in the higher education environment because they have more free time and less adult supervision.

In 2011, Shire introduced the ADHD Scholarship Program and awarded 25 scholarships.  Due to the tremendous response, Shire doubled the number of award recipients to 50 in 2012.  The scholarship program is part of Shire’s patient-centric approach that offers support to patients with ADHD, their parents, families, caregivers, and patient advocates.

“The Edge Foundation applauds the commitment that Shire has made to these students in expanding this program.  We are happy to provide them with the support of our coaches during this important time in their lives,” said Robert Tudisco, Executive Director of the Edge Foundation.

The Edge Foundation is a Seattle-based non-profit organization that offers support for students with ADHD. The Edge Foundation’s primary mission is to provide access to qualified, professional coaches for students with ADHD as part of their multi-modal treatment program.