Click to visit Camp I Am Me site2024 Scholarship Recipients!
Congratulations to Scott Johnson, Otis Culpepper, Janine Hadid, Megan Kolpacki, Alison Moll, Amayah Myszak, Elena Sommers, Ben Iammartino, Briana Bucaro and Jesseka Boyer, our 2024 scholarship winners.
The 2024 recipient of the Barbara Latenser memorial scholarship and outlaw kart racer from Melcher-Dallas, Iowa, Scott Johnson suffered a serious burn injury in a fuel fire as a sophomore in high school. As a result, he was suddenly in a medically induced coma, soon after having worked his way onto the varsity football team together with maintaining a 4.0 GPA. He would eventually recover, fighting through the intense pain while remaining grateful that it wasn’t worse and discovering a determination to fight through and heal to fulfill his desire to help others. In the years following his accident, Scott has continued to excel in academics, making the dean’s list in college 3 out of 4 semesters while getting back into the racing full force. This fall, Scott will start his junior year at Central College in Pella, Iowa studying Finance/Business Management.
Otis Culpepper is the 2024 recipient of the Caper Brown memorial scholarship and will be starting his collegiate journey this coming fall at Northern Illinois University. At just 6 months old, Otis was severely burned in a house fire, leading to much frustration as a young child about being different from other kids due to his injuries. However, once Otis heard about and began attending Camp I Am Me, he blossomed. He formed a community with the kids there, made lifelong friends and learned to embrace who he is. Otis even said by the 7th year at camp he never wanted to leave. After learning that he wasn’t into athletics after playing football for a year, he developed a deep interest in technology. To pursue that area of interest as a career, Otis will study computer science with an eye on becoming a cloud architect.
Janine Hadid is the 2024 recipient of the Jorge Mijares memorial scholarship and a young entrepreneur from Orland Park, Illinois. Along with the rest of her family, Janine was severely burned in a house fire. It’s left her with scars and physical limitations, but she hasn’t let it slow her down. She graduated from high school with over 100 hours of community service and has become a counselor at Camp I Am Me after years of attending as a camper. Her passion for helping others runs deep, having traveled abroad teaching young underprivileged kids to skateboard. This, combined with her love for art, led her to create her own skate brand during a hiatus from college. This coming fall, however, Janine will re-start her college studies in architecture at UIC’s school of Architecture in Chicago.
Megan Kolpacki, 2024 recipient of the Tim Miller memorial scholarship, is an inspirational young woman who was injured when her house went up in flames due to a gas leak at the age of twelve. Her dad was able to find her and throw flaming drywall off her, getting her out in time. After months of being in and out of the hospital, Megan went back to school attempting to hide her scars, but after a week spent at Camp I Am Me the following summer, she returned with pride in her scars and her experience, even helping another student at her school to find his confidence following his own burn injury. Crediting the nurses that helped in her recovery and already beginning to work as a patient care technician, Megan will continue her collegiate career this coming fall at Louisiana State University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology.
Alison Moll, hailing from Cross Plains, WI, is the 2024 recipient of the Kelly Skiles memorial scholarship. At just two years old, Alison tripped and fell into a dwindling campfire and suffered extensive burns to her left leg, arm and hand. As hard as it is to be picked on as a young child with burn scars, Alison kept an upbeat and loving attitude. She is an exceptional student, an athlete in soccer and swimming, an active member of her community and has found a passion for participating more deeply in the burn survivor community over this past summer. Alison will continue her studies this coming fall at the University of Wisconsin in rehabilitation psychology, after crediting the occupational therapists that worked with her during her recovery for providing loving and attentive care.
Amayah Myszak is the 2024 recipient of the Dan Yost memorial scholarship and is a determined young woman passionate about helping children. As a seventh grader she was badly burned at a birthday party when her friend’s father tried to revive the fire using gasoline. It exploded right in front of her, setting her on many months of recovery between Loyola Burn Center in Chicago and Shriner’s Hospital in Boston. It was at Shriner’s where Amayah met Rebecca, a child life specialist assigned to support Amayah while she was there, who was so warm and caring that she helped Amayah to feel like herself again and inspired her to follow in the same career footsteps. Amayah will be transferring to Indiana University for her sophomore year studying early childhood education and psychology.
From Syracuse, Indiana, Elena Sommers is heading back to Oregon State University for her junior year of college. As a four-year-old girl, Elena suffered serious burns to her arms due to a grease fire spill while attempting to help her dad in the kitchen. She hasn’t let the injury hold herself back one bit. Elena earned National Honors Society recognition as a junior and a senior in high school and Academic Hall of Fame as a senior while participating in the student council and working part-time. An avid animal lover, for as long as she can remember Elena has wanted to be a veterinarian. She will be continuing her studies in Biology this coming year to continue that path.
Ben Iammartino has not only suffered a serious burn injury at the age of six but also a spinal cord injury since. He credits his burn injury as a boy for gifting him with the determination and perseverance to endure the spinal cord injury and recover from it as well. After attending Camp I Am Me and being a part of the burn survivor community there, Ben wants to use his life experience to become a social worker specializing in trauma. He’s since mentored other wheelchair users like him to keep working out and keep getting stronger. This fall, Ben will be attending the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire studying psychology.
The 2024 recipient of the Alex Collazo memorial scholarship, Briana Bucaro suffered severe road rash burn injuries, along with many other injuries , from a bad car accident just last year. Treated at the Loyola burn unit, Briana’s desires for her life changed drastically since her car crash. Crediting the burn nurses who took such good care of her and a tour of the health and sciences division at Aurora University, Briana wants to pass her experience onto others like her and pursue a career in treating burn injuries as a surgeon or nurse. An excellent student and active participant and volunteer in her community, Briana will be starting her college career this coming fall at that same Aurora University so she can be close to her home in Bartlett while also continuing to recover from her injuries.
Jesseka Boyer is a long-time burn survivor and high school cheerleader and track athlete. At just the age of one, she was left near a fire by a babysitter and curiously wanted to touch it. Her injuries resulted in the need for three emergency surgeries over the span of a month at the Madison, Wisconsin burn center. Growing up, her uncle introduced her to Camp I Am Me for burn survivors where she was deeply impacted by another camper who suffered burns to 70% of her body yet remained outgoing positively minded. Jesseka’s time at Camp I Am Me over the years has helped inspire her to become a nurse and will be pursuing her bachelor’s degree in nursing this coming fall at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.