“My father served in the Marine Corps in Force Reconnaissance. Dad raised me with Marine principles like, “there is no can’t.” I am so grateful for my scholarship award from the MCSF, which has helped make it possible for me to graduate from the College of Charleston and Johns Hopkins University. I lost a friend to brain cancer which inspired me to pursue an MD at the University of Pittsburgh. I plan to run a translational brain tumor research lab that focuses on developing vaccines against brain cancer. Brain cancer is one of the deadliest diseases known to man, and there is a dramatic lack of resources for treatment in Africa. My research aims to prepare African countries to meet the future neurosurgical needs of their nation.”