Aidan Cairns to Receive $25,000 Ridge Alumni Memorial Scholarship

On June 17, 2025 at Ridge High Awards Night, senior Aidan Cairns will receive the 2025 Ridge Alumni Memorial Scholarship (Ridge AMS), a $25,000 award that recognizes character and determination.

Born with cerebral palsy, Aidan has walked on crutches his entire life and began using a wheelchair in high school. When he got to Ridge, he found that while he enjoyed his classes and extracurricular activities, “navigating a building and its surroundings with inadequate wheelchair access caused extreme stress.”

A determined advocate for himself and others with disabilities, Aidan spent his years at Ridge seeking changes and solutions that would have a lasting impact, and as he recounts in his essay, “Ultimately, after three hard-fought years, I worked with the administration and the school board to install automatic doors, curb cuts, and update the wheelchair lifts at Ridge. I even got them to dig up the treacherous grassy slope and build a pathway down to the football field from the school for easier access."

According to Alexandra Daggett, Chair of the Ridge Alumni Memorial Scholarship Board of Trustees “Aidan’s level of initiative and commitment is truly admirable and comprises much of what we look for in our scholarship winners.”

Aidan plans to use his award towards his college tuition and other related expenses.

The Ridge AMS grant recognizes applicants’ character, determination, and non-traditional achievements, rather than grades or test scores. Winners may use the funds for any personal growth opportunity. The generosity of donors has allowed Ridge AMS to continue its mission for the past 18 years.

For more information, visit RidgeAMS.org