North Phoenix Prep Senior Wins National College Scholarship

North Phoenix Preparatory July 12, 2018

Moriah IrvingPHOENIX, AZ SENIOR WINS NATIONAL COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP

(NEW YORK, NY, June 4, 2018): Richie’s Spirit Foundation is proud to announce Moriah Irving of North Phoenix Preparatory Academy in Phoenix, AZ, received honorable mention in the tenth annual Richie’s Spirit Foundation Significant Challenge College Scholarship. The $500 prize will go towards Ms. Irving’s studies at Scripps College this fall.

After a long battle with mental illness, Ms. Irving’s father committed suicide during her sophomore year of high school. From this experience, she began volunteering as a Peer Counselor at Teen Lifeline. In her award-winning essay, Ms. Irving wrote “I am aware that I do not know what every person I interact with is going through in their life, or the hidden struggles they may have. With this in mind, I try to be someone who is kind and caring to everyone I interact with, and to be someone who is open minded and there for others.”

Ms. Irving plans to study Neuroscience and Political Science. It is her goal to serve as an agent of change related to scientific developments and understanding about mental health, along with policy change and education in schools. Laney Smith, Ms. Irving’s college counselor, says she “is not only mindful of and earnestly seeking the good, she has deliberately cultivated the habits of mind and character to enable her to effect change responsibly.”

The scholarship, named after Richie Herskowitz, the youngest cystic fibrosis patient to receive a double-lung transplant, is awarded to graduating high school seniors who demonstrate leadership, character, initiative in school and community affairs and merit academic achievement. A panel of judges from around the country selected Anna King as the first place winner from over 1,600 applicants.

To learn more about Richie’s Spirit Foundation and its mission to promote organ donation, please visit ​www.richiesspirit.org​.

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