At 180 Medical, we are dedicated to being a trusted provider of catheter and ostomy supplies, supporting individuals in their daily lives as they navigate health challenges and work toward a better quality of life. One of the most rewarding ways we give back is through the 180 Medical College Scholarship Program.
We receive hundreds of applications from hopeful students across the United States every year. So many applicants share their stories and talk about their desire to positively impact others through their future careers despite facing significant medical challenges.
After much consideration, our Scholarship Committee selected this year’s outstanding recipients and officially announced them in August. We believe in the power of education as one of the 180 Way’s core values, and we’re honored to be a part of these students’ journeys. Now, we are thrilled to introduce the 2024 180 Medical Scholarship recipients!
Meet the 2024 180 Medical Scholarship Recipients
The seven 2024 180 Medical Scholarship recipients have not only demonstrated academic excellence but have also shown remarkable resilience in the face of significant challenges. They also share a passion for helping others.
Amber Castro
Amber is a passionate advocate for those with spinal cord injuries and victims of gun violence. After sustaining a life-changing spinal cord injury due to gun violence at a Halloween party a few years ago, Amber has been committed to regaining her independence while working as a social media influencer. A big part of her work in influencing is focused on spinal cord injury awareness.
She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree at Nevada State University in Criminal Justice. Before her injury, she was hoping to be a police officer. Unfortunately, the severity of her injury has made that initial career trajectory take a different course. However, she is not letting that change her goal to help others and make a positive impact on the world.
Someday, she hopes to establish her own business and offer adaptive equipment and tools at an affordable price to help others with disabilities.
Liam Hieger
Liam, a freshman at the University of New England, was born with Spina Bifida but hasn’t let that stop him from pursuing his dreams. While many children with spina bifida have limited mobility, Liam was still able to run and walk independently, although he faced other challenges.
His parents signed him up for football and lacrosse when he was in the third grade. He says, “Sports became an outlet where I could feel like I was just like everyone else.” He continued to play sports throughout high school while volunteering and earning Honor Roll grades every semester.
Being born with spina bifida and going through many surgeries as a child is what has inspired him to help others through a career as a Nurse Anesthetist.
“Spina bifida started out as a source of hopelessness within me,” he says, “but ultimately, it became a source of my determination. I hope to inspire the same mentality in others to overcome their challenges.”
Matthew Trickle
Matthew was born in China with Hirschsprung’s Disease, which affects the nerve cells of the colon. He shares that his parents left him at an orphanage for sick and disabled children in an attempt to save his life, as they did not have the money to care for his special needs. For the first five years of his life, he lived in the Shanghai Children’s Welfare Institute and had multiple surgeries to treat his disease.
Unfortunately, this meant he had to have his entire large intestine removed. However, when he was five, everything changed. An American family adopted him. “I now had a loving family, friends, piano lessons, tae kwon do, and a big backyard to play in. And after so many years of living in constant pain, I now had access to excellent medical care.”
He eventually had a permanent ileostomy created. Although this has come with its own special challenges, Matthew has been diligent in his education. He has participated in Honors, AP, and Dual Enrollment programs during high school, and he graduated with over a 4.0 GPA.
“I don’t let my ileostomy define me or keep me from doing the things I want to do,” he says. Through his future career in nursing, he hopes “to one day help people adjust to life with an ileostomy bag like I have.”
Nathan DelVecchio
Nathan was born with spina bifida and scoliosis. He originally wanted to pursue a career in dentistry and began working in a dental office. He realized very quickly that the physical demands of the job would be too much.
“Luckily,” he shares, “there is almost more than one way to build a fulfilling career.” He decided to refocus his passions and find a way to use his skills to solve problems and help others.
That’s when he decided to get his Master’s in Computer Science. He hopes to one day be able to work on medical software and improve it specifically for hospitals and clinics.
His passion for helping others extends beyond the classroom. He actively volunteers in his community and serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Rochester Spina Bifida Association. He also enjoys reading, going to concerts, and watching his favorite team, the Buffalo Bills, play on Sundays.
Nina Bachich
Nina is determined to make the world more accessible for individuals with disabilities. After suffering a spinal cord injury in an accident in 2021, Nina became a vocal advocate for disability rights and founded the Disability Empowerment Network. Her goal is to merge her love for hospitality with her passion for advocacy, ensuring that accessible travel and accommodations become the norm.
“As for my future goals, I am eager to modernize the Americans with Disabilities Act in hospitality and tourism,” Nina shares. “After my injury, I became aware of how many barriers people with disabilities face, specifically in the hospitality and tourism industry. I look forward to changing the ADA and helping disabled Americans find ease, comfort, and enjoyment when traveling.”
As she works toward a degree in public policy while in graduate school at Georgetown University, she continues to work for Royal Caribbean International and acts as Vice President of Cornell Hotel Society.
Robert Reynolds
Robert’s early life in an orphanage in China was marked by neglect. He was born with a malformed bladder and experienced many challenges due to this condition.
Thankfully, however, he was adopted by a loving family and moved to the United States in 2014. That adoption and the medical care he began to receive at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, turned his life around.
While he’s faced new challenges like undergoing bladder augmentation surgery, he excelled in school. He has completed nine AP courses and one Dual Enrollment course during high school, and he has also been an active member in various clubs and extracurricular activities, such as vocal choir, theater, Student Senate, and Model United Nations. He also volunteers and tutors.
Today, as a freshman majoring in Political Science, Robert’s ultimate goal is to become a Civil Rights Lawyer and help others find hope, just as he did. “My background has shown me that even in life’s darkest moments, there is light to be found.”
Taylor Hofmann
At just eight years old, Taylor was involved in a car accident with her family. She sustained a spinal cord injury and extensive trauma to her abdomen. She faced many challenges and seven surgeries, but looking back, she says, “I was extremely lucky to have the support and care of my family through all the ups and downs.”
Her grandma raised her, and her great-grandmother inspired her to go to college and do something extraordinary with her life. Naturally, after months in the hospital, she was a little behind in her classes, so she had to work hard to catch up.
Taylor has excelled academically, earning recognition as Valedictorian and a place on the President’s Honor Roll. As she moves forward with her senior year of her undergraduate degree, she aspires to have a career in family advocacy within her tribal community and help provide supportive services to families in need. Her own family had to use social and advocacy services, and she hopes to pay it forward and provide some of that support to other families someday.
About the 180 Medical Scholarship
At 180 Medical, we are dedicated to helping people turn their lives around by providing high-quality medical supplies and support. In line with this mission, our 180 Medical Scholarship Program, established by our founder, Todd Brown, continues to make a positive impact on the lives of students who have faced significant medical challenges. Todd, who lives with a spinal cord injury, understands firsthand the financial and physical obstacles that students with disabilities often face.
Our annual scholarship program is open to full-time college students with spinal cord injuries, spina bifida, neurogenic bladder, an ostomy, bladder extrophy, or transverse myelitis.
If you or someone you know is interested in applying for the 2025 180 Medical Scholarship, please stay tuned for upcoming announcements. The application period will open on January 1st, 2025. For more information, visit our Scholarships page.
