Valeant Dermatology 'Aspire Higher' Scholarship Program Names Nine Winners

From Valeant Pharmaceuticals:

With many students soon heading back to college campuses around the nation, Valeant Dermatology, a division of Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC, announced the winners of its Aspire Higher Scholarship Program. Nine undergraduate and graduate students were selected from a pool of 970 applicants and awarded up to $10,000 each toward tuition expenses for the coming school year.

The winners were chosen based on a written essay describing the impact a dermatological condition had on their life and the role their healthcare practitioner played in treating their condition. Three scholarships were awarded in each of three categories: Undergraduate Scholar Awards for those pursuing and an undergraduate degree, Graduate Scholar Awards for students pursuing a graduate degree and Today’s Woman Scholar Awards for students who are mothers and pursuing any higher-education degree.

“Valeant congratulates the winners of this year’s scholarship program and thanks all of the applicants for sharing their personal stories of how their lives were affected by their skin condition and the clinician who helped with its treatment,” said Eric Abramson, Valeant Dermatology’s senior vice president and general manager. “We are proud to support these outstanding and dedicated students in achieving their academic ambitions.”

The nine winners will attend the following schools of higher education this year: undergraduate student winners are Colin Axnér of Tracy, Ca., who will attend the University of California in Berkeley; Courtney Sayre of Marcellus, N.Y. will attend the State University of New York in Oswego, and Jordyn Schara of North Freedom, Wis. will attend the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Graduate student winners are Neela Persad of Homestead, Fl., who will attend Columbia University; Stephanie Laning of Worth, Ill. will attend Utah State University, and Joshua Haag of New York, N.Y. will attend Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus.

Today’s Woman Scholar winners are Siobhan Reagan of Front Royal, Va., currently attending Lord Fairfax Community College; Farah Sayyed-Unas of Bloomingdale, N.J., who will attend Rutgers University, and Laura Lasseter of Flowery Branch, Ga. will attend the University of Georgia Graduate School.

“There were so many compelling stories and deserving applicants that it was extremely difficult to choose the winners,” said Linda Stein Gold, M.D., director of Dermatology Clinical Research, Henry Ford Health System, one of three judges of the scholarship awards. “It’s truly inspiring to see how they dealt with their condition and turned challenging circumstances into something positive in their lives.”

Enrollment information for the 2017 scholarship program will be announced early next year.

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