From Zachary, in his own words…

What educational pursuit(s) are you interested in?​

My educational goal is to attend a post-secondary school of some sort to get a degree beyond a high school diploma. My goals also include working hard on everything I do, learning everything I can, and getting internships to further the skills needed to excel at my particular field in media production. My ultimate goal is to also learn more leadership skills needed for a future job. I also want to participate in extracurricular activities that involve media to hone my skills and talents in media production.

These educational goals also relate to my career plans as I want to pursue a career in media production as an editor at a major TV/Movie studio or as a freelancer for other media companies. I hope I can use my passion for media production to do something I love and make it a career and not just a hobby. With the goal of getting internships in mind I’ll use those opportunities to further my experience so when I do go into a career of media production I will be prepared. These internships also serve as a resume builder so that when employers see my experience they’ll know I’m the right candidate for the job. Internships also serve another purpose by equipping me with the necessary leadership skills needed for a career in media production.

What does it mean to you to receive a MDFF scholarship? ​

As someone who has muscular dystrophy, attending school in a power wheelchair has been challenging, but not impossible for me. By receiving the MDFF scholarship, it means a lot to help ease some of the financial burden on my family to then help focus on my independence at college and beyond rather than how much it costs. Not only this, but it will also help me succeed in my future career in media production which is where I have a passion for learning and creating. Studying media production can help me also be an advocate for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and be an inspiration to others living with this disease.

What do you feel will be your biggest challenge in achieving your dreams?​

The biggest challenge in achieving my dreams is how inaccessible and out of touch the world around me is despite all the progress that society has made for people with disabilities. This creates an unwelcoming feeling or even that I don’t belong somewhere just because I can’t get my power wheelchair there. This lack of mobility fuels me to make people aware about the issues that the rare disease community faces daily. The limit my disability places on me isn’t enough to stop me from achieving my future goals of attending college and starting a career in media production. I hope to use my disability to inspire others to overcome adversity and use their personal experiences in life to propel them forward.

MDFF is proud to help Zachary on his educational journey through being awarded an MDFF Educational Scholarship Sponsored by Busey Bank. Learn more about this scholarship and how to apply next year on our Scholarship page.