The Birth Injury Lawyers Group Cerebral Palsy Scholarship was designed to provide an exceptional student with cerebral palsy $2,500 toward their education. Matthew Williams is certainly an exceptional student.
Williams was born 12 weeks premature, diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of 18 months, and was told that it was unlikely he’d ever speak or walk. Today, he studies accounting at Drake University, is a spokesperson for Easterseals, and has even been named one of five Chicago-area Bank of America Student Leaders.
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In his winning essay, Williams highlighted the lessons that his birth injury and subsequent care has taught him: “Overcoming significant physical limitations has shown me that I can achieve anything with effort and dedication.” But he doesn’t simply content himself with personal achievements.
At Drake, Williams is part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Task Force, advocating for increased accessibility and awareness on campus. He also serves as the Treasurer of his Residence Hall Association, managing the organization’s $20,000 budget.
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Through the Bank of America Student Leaders Program, as well as through his internship at a tax firm, Williams continues to refine his future goals. “I am leaning more toward the financial accounting/audit side of things,” he said in an interview with a Birth Injury Lawyers Group representative.
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Eventually, though, he has set his sight at manning the helm of an organization, such as a non-profit. After seeing the process of non-profits in the Chicago area thanks to the Bank of America Student Leaders event, Williams wrote that his view of leadership and organization stability shifted.
“The impact of a decision on a company’s community, employees and environment are more important than anything that can be measured on an income statement,” he wrote. It is this sense of community, service, responsibility, and awareness that drives Williams, and it shows just how bright his future is.
The Birth Injury Lawyers Group is proud to name Matthew Williams the winner of the Cerebral Palsy Scholarship in 2021. We hope the $2,500 will ease the economic burden that college can be on him and his family, and we know it goes toward someone who is certainly going to achieve big things.
You can read Matthew’s winning essay by clicking on this link.
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