Description:
The Joshua Gomes Memorial Scholarship Fund aims to lay a path for
hope for young adults with HIV/AIDS by providing academic scholarships
to universities of their choice. Each $1,000 scholarship we award will
give the recipient a strong message:
You are worth investing in.
Josh Gomes was a man with a plan. He had drive. He had passion. He had
hope for the future. Josh also had hemophilia and AIDS.
When the immune disease took his life at age 21, Josh was working
toward a double degree in pre-medicine and pre-law at the University
of Denver. The fact that Josh was continuing his education didn't
surprise those who knew him well, but it may have surprised the
physicians who gave him little hope of surviving childhood.
Today, miracle drugs are extending the lives of children who have
HIV/AIDS, allowing these kids to grow up to be productive members of
our community.
Children with HIV/AIDS can make it, just like any other kid, if they
have the right medical care, supportive friends and family … and most
of all, hope.
Josh, who was valedictorian of his 1997 high school class, felt
strongly about going to college despite the "death sentence" his
doctors had given him every year of his life. Learning was one of his
core values: to stop learning was to truly die. The thought of college
gave him a strong sense of hope for a fulfilling future.
But when he began looking for college funding, he found that many
scholarships created in tribute to children with hemophilia who died
from AIDS often went to those who weren't HIV positive. He believed
that action spoke loudly:
You may die, so we won't invest.
The Joshua Gomes Memorial Scholarship Fund aims to lay a path for hope
for young adults like Josh-those with HIV/AIDS-by providing academic
scholarships to universities of their choice.
We hope to allow Josh's love for learning and community service to
continue through other young adults who also exhibit these qualities.
Applicable Majors:
All Fields of Study Website
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