Meet the 2019 Scholars

"Choose one inspirational quote or motto that has helped you throughout your journey with cystic fibrosis. How do you live by your quote or motto and how has it motivated you to accomplish your goals?"

My favorite quote is by a surrealist artist named Man Ray. He says, “I never knew what I was doing until I was done.” This applies to many aspects of my life, from my diagnosis to my own creative journey. I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the unusual age of 14 after being treated for severe allergies with no improvement. I got steadily sicker as the years progressed, which lead to an increasing sense of depression for my situation. I spent most of my time flat on my back in bed, in too much pain to even turn over. This made for a pretty boring and lonely experience, but I was able to find solace in creation. I started illustrating cartoons about how bad I felt, and soon I found myself falling in love with art. I signed up to join the art program in high school, but the summer before I started I was finally diagnosed. Throughout my time in high school, I began to discover how effective my visual communication was in spreading awareness about CF. I decided I wanted to become a graphic designer to help further my ability to educate people about chronic illnesses like mine. I never would have expected for the silly little drawings I made while I was so sick to blossom into my dream career, and I certainly didn’t expect my childhood pain to have lead me to my purpose.