Merck today announced the names of 10 outstanding high school seniors with asthma who have been selected as recipients of the 2011 Will to Win Scholarships. Each student has been awarded a $5,000 scholarship for excelling academically and in one of the five scholarship categories: performing arts, visual arts, community service, athletics and science.

All 10 scholarship recipients demonstrated outstanding performance in their entry category, provided a documented record of overall achievement and held a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. An independent panel of asthma experts from three national advocacy organizations evaluated many qualified applications and identified two recipients in each category.

“We are truly impressed and inspired by the stories of this year’s Will to Win Scholarship recipients,” said Mike Tringale, Vice President of External Affairs for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. “These exceptional individuals help provide to other young asthma sufferers examples of great achievement despite their chronic condition.”

The 2011 scholarship recipients in each category are:

Performing Arts

• Samantha Warnement (Charlotte Catholic High School, Charlotte, N.C.)
  Samantha Warnement has always had a drive to overcome her asthma so she could accomplish a lifetime of high achievement in dance and academics. The list of dance-related awards she has won is extensive, including Youth Dance Ambassador at the 2006 and 2010 Dance Troupe, Inc. (DTI) National Competitions, Dance Idol at the 2006 DTI National Competition, and Dancer of the Year in 2009 from the Sullivan Dance Center in Charlotte, N.C. Additionally, she graduated in the top 5 percent of her class and was a participant in her school’s honor council. Samantha attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she is considering studying journalism.

• Victoria Danna (Snow Hill High School, Snow Hill, Md.)
  Victoria Danna was both diagnosed with asthma and became interested in dance at a very young age. At three years old, she began taking dance lessons that would open the door to a world of exceptional achievement. In 2007, she participated in the New York City Dance Alliance Convention, an elite competition for dancers of all age groups, and she has been a member of two dance companies. She was president of her high school’s student government association, and a member of the Math Club, Legal Interns and Students Against Drunk Driving. Victoria now attends Salisbury University, and she plans to pursue a career in government or law.

Visual Arts

• Matt Sloan (Germantown High School, Germantown, Tenn.)
  Diagnosed at age two, Matt Sloan does not remember his life without asthma. When a particularly severe attack left him bedridden for a month, Matt picked up his first video camera and began writing his own scripts and casting his family in original movies. Since that time, Matt has immersed himself in performance and production, holding several roles in his high school theater while also receiving more than 20 local, regional and national awards for his work as producer, director and general manager for GHS-TV, a community access television station. Matt now attends Southern Illinois University in Carbondale where he is pursuing a degree in radio and television with an emphasis in television production.

• Hannah Sydiongco (Chandler High School, Gilbert, Ariz.)
  When Hannah Sydiongco decided she was serious about art, she knew she also needed to get serious about her health, and has since taken steps to help keep her asthma well-managed. With her asthma symptoms under control, Hannah has been involved in numerous extracurricular activities while also building two Scholastic Art & Writing Award-winning portfolios. Hannah currently attends Arizona State University and hopes to one day work as a 3-D animator at a major animation studio.

Community Service

• Chloe Jane Stroman (Belchertown High School, Belchertown, Mass.)
  Chloe Jane Stroman decided at an early age that she would not let her asthma impact her ability to help others. With the assistance of her physician, Chloe learned to manage her asthma and find ways to pursue sports and even play the flute in high school. She also has worked closely with multiple organizations, including service work for the Boston Children’s Hospital, Doctors Without Borders and the American Red Cross to help those in need. Chloe is attending Wellesley College, where she is studying international relations with a focus in peace and justice studies.

• Chelsea Noelle Curl (Fountain Fort Carson High School, Fountain, Colo.)
  Chelsea Noelle Curl used her personal struggles with asthma as an inspiration to help other people overcome their challenges. Through a teaching cadet program, Chelsea coached elementary students to improve their reading skills. She also created a teaching cadet program for her own high school. Chelsea is attending Colorado State University-Pueblo, where she is studying education in the hopes of improving the lives of future generations. 

Athletics

• Bryan Jordan (Galena High School, Reno, Nev.)
  Despite hospital visits and a desert climate that did not help his asthma, avid runner Bryan Jordan never lost focus on the finish line. Bryan broke numerous school and state records in track and cross-country, including individual and team state championships. In 2010, he was recognized as a 2010 Wendy’s High School Heisman state finalist and a 2009 Nike Cross Nationals finalist. Named the 14^th fastest high school miler in the U.S., Bryan has taken his career to the collegiate level, where he is now a member of the Division-I track and cross-country teams at the University of California, Berkeley.

• Hannah Robinson (Hardin Co. High School, Savannah, Tenn.)
  Hannah Robinson learned at an early age that she had a natural talent: basketball. With the support of her doctors and family, she worked through the obstacles of her asthma, which made it difficult for her to breathe and impacted her performance. During her four years on her high school’s varsity team, Hannah was named to her region’s all-district, all-academic and all-tournament teams, as well as Most Valuable Player at both the high school and district level. Dedicated to balancing both her athletics and academics, Hannah was also chosen as her school’s Student of the Year. Hannah is currently attending Bethel University, where she plans to pursue a degree that will allow her to work in the medical field.  

Science

• Rebecca Skledar (Mentor High School, Mentor, Ohio)
  Rebecca Skledar is an active researcher whose asthma has inspired her to partner with her doctor to conduct a study on the impact of asthma in women. She is currently in the process of publishing her joint study on the severity of asthma in women, which includes an analysis of more than 50 medical records of female asthma sufferers. Rebecca has won numerous awards for this research, including American Society for Quality award in 2010 and Third Place in Health and Medicine and the Northeastern Ohio Science and Engineering Fair in 2010. Rebecca will attend Grove City College to pursue studies in accounting before going into the medical field.

• Dalton Allan (Saginaw Arts & Sciences Academy, Saginaw, Mich.)
  Dalton Allan has always had a passion for science and math, and asthma would not deter him from pursuing his passion. After a serious episode with asthma in elementary school, Dalton worked closely with his physician to find the interventions that now hold his asthma in check. Over the years Dalton has developed his understanding of science and math and earned national recognition, including two national science quiz bowl championships. He has shared his love of science and math by serving as a math and physics tutor at a local university, where he was honored with the university's "best tutor" award. His students especially appreciated Dalton's gentle and supportive teaching style. Dalton is now attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He plans to major in mathematics, with the ultimate goal of sharing the beauty and wonder of mathematics with others in a university setting.

You can learn more about the Will to Win Scholarship Program and this year’s recipients by visiting http://www.willtowinscholarship.com/.

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Merck & Co., Inc.

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