01. Who We Help
Who Our Scholarship Helps
The Mesothelioma.com Scholarship helps students whose lives have been affected by any type of cancer, not just mesothelioma. The following types of students are eligible to apply:
- Those who have experienced their own cancer diagnosis, current or past
- Those who have a parent, sibling, immediate family member or close friend who has battled, or is currently fighting, cancer
We know how devastating a cancer diagnosis can be. Through our work with mesothelioma patients and their loved ones, we recognize the mental, emotional and financial strain this disease can cause.
02. History
Mesothelioma.com Scholarship History
The first Mesothelioma.com Scholarship was awarded for the 2015 school year. The scholarship program was created in honor of mesothelioma survivor and advocate, Heather Von St. James, and her husband Cameron, who enrolled in college after Heather’s diagnosis.
Now, we want to hear about your experience, how it affected you and how we can help.
“When I got sick, our world as we knew it crumbled. I had to quit my job as a salon owner and stylist and concentrate on treatment. Our income was instantly cut. Cameron, my husband, knew that he had to get his degree to do better for our family, including our newborn child.
Furthering one’s education is something Cam and I are incredibly passionate about, and we know from experience how hard it is to balance family, jobs and school (not to mention a wife who’s fighting cancer). But while it can be difficult, the rewards are too numerous to count. Hopefully, this scholarship can give a little extra help to someone in a time of need.”
– Heather Von St. James
Pleural Mesothelioma Survivor
03. Application Requirements
Scholarship Application Requirements
Students who submit full applications will be considered for the Mesothelioma.com Scholarship. The application process is broken down into four steps: determining your eligibility, writing an essay, compiling your additional documents and correctly formatting and submitting your application.
Step 1: Determine Your Eligibility
People affected by any type of cancer, not just mesothelioma, are eligible to apply to the Mesothelioma.com scholarship. In addition to being affected by cancer, applicants must:
- Be enrolled full-time at an accredited two-year or four-year university, community college, junior college or graduate degree program in the United States
- Be a United States citizen
- Be in academic “good standing” and have a minimum grade point average of 3.2
If you meet these requirements, you are eligible to apply for the scholarship.
Step 2: Write An Essay About Your Cancer Experience
Applicants must submit a written essay (500 – 1,000 words) or video submission (4 – 5 minutes) answering the following questions:
- How has cancer affected your life and outlook on your goals?
- How did this adversity shape who you are today?
- What would this scholarship mean to you? Why is it important?
In the top left corner of the essay document, or in the description of your video submission, please also include a header with the following information:
Step 3: Gather Additional Documents
In addition to the essay, please submit all of the following:
- Unofficial academic transcript: Your transcript is used to verify your GPA.
- Proof of enrollment: Eligible applicants are enrolled at an accredited two-year or four-year university, community college, junior college or graduate degree program. Proof of enrollment may be an official letter verifying your enrollment, your class schedule for the current semester or a bursar bill showing your deposit. High school seniors may submit their acceptance letters if they have not yet committed to a college.
- One letter of recommendation (LOR): Your LOR should detail why you are the best candidate to receive the scholarship. Preference will be given to students whose LOR speaks to why they deserve this scholarship, specifically. We prefer students to submit their letters directly on our portal. However, if a recommender is not comfortable with this, they can email their letter directly to us at scholarships@mesothelioma.com. Instruct them to include your full name and “Letter of Recommendation” as the subject of the email. On the application portal, the student should then submit a document stating the name of their recommender.
- Honors & volunteer work: This optional document should detail any honors you have received and any volunteer work you have done. Please summarize in one document with 1 – 2 sentences for each activity. A CV or resume is an acceptable substitution.
Step 4: Format and Submit Application Using Application Form
Students can submit their application using the form further down this page. Please submit all documents in PDF format with the following naming conventions:
- LastName_Enrollment
- LastName_Essay
- LastName_HonorsVolunteerSummary
- LastName_LOR
- LastName_Transcript
Have a Question About the Mesothelioma.com Scholarship?
Contact us at scholarships@mesothelioma.com.
Mesothelioma.com Scholarship Selection Process
For the Fall 2025 Mesothelioma.com Scholarship, all applications are due by 11:59 PM EST March 31, 2025. All entries will be reviewed by the staff at Mesothelioma.com once the deadline passes. The winner will be chosen based on:
- Commitment to academic excellence
- Financial need
- Positive impact the applicant has had on those around them
- Quality of their submitted materials
- Strength in the face of adversity
The student who is awarded the $4,000 scholarship will be notified no later than May 1, 2025. Funds will be disbursed to the student’s school for the Fall 2025 semester. The winner will then be announced through Mesothelioma.com’s social network of over 50,000 followers. Mesothelioma.com will only contact the winner of the scholarship.
Any attempt to falsify claims in an applicant’s story will result in immediate disqualification.
04. Apply Here
Mesothelioma.com Scholarship Application Form
Applications for the 2025 scholarship are now open. The application deadline is March 31, 2025.
05. Previous Winners
Previous Mesothelioma.com Scholarship Winners
We select winners based on the strength of their application and character. Once we’ve reached out to the year’s winner, we work with them to create a blog post about their story. Learn about some of the recent Mesothelioma.com Scholarship winners.
2024 Scholarship Winner
Michaela Gusman
Area of Study: Clinical Psychology
Michaela is a survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma who learned the importance of mental health when fighting cancer. Now she dedicates herself to improving the mental health of those less fortunate.
2023 Scholarship Winner
Isabella Toth
Area of Study: Biomedical Engineering
Isabella was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma while in high school. Through her cancer battle, she learned the value of optimism. She now hopes to improve cancer treatments for other patients.
2022 Scholarship Winner
Guadalupe Barragan
Area of Study: Master of Fine Arts
Guadalupe was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in the middle of her academic career. Now, her experiences in the cancer community have shifted her goals.
2021 Scholarship Winner
Katherine Sasser
Area of Study: Master of Nursing
Katherine’s nursing degree was put on pause when her son, Hayden, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After Hayden’s passing, Katherine worried about what it’d be like to return to the field. Now, she’s pursuing her master’s degree.
2020 Scholarship Winner
Lauren Havens
Area of Study: Medical Degree
Lauren was diagnosed with spitzoid melanoma at 16. This diagnosis helped solidify her desire to become a doctor and help other patients.
06. Common Questions
Common Questions About the Mesothelioma.com Scholarship
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What does a good letter of recommendation look like?
- Good letters of recommendation should be written for the Mesothelioma.com Scholarship and detail why the applicant deserves this specific award. Applicants may want to show recommenders the “Mesothelioma.com Scholarship Selection Process” section of this page to see what we look for in a candidate.
Potential recommenders include teachers, mentors, bosses or coworkers, coaches, doctors or club leaders. We prefer these letters to not come from family members.
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How do I know my application went through?
- Once you click “Submit Application” at the bottom of the form, the page will reload and display a message that reads “Thank you for your submission [Your Name]! It has been sent successfully.” You will not receive a confirmation email. If you are worried your application did not go through, you may email scholarships@mesothelioma.com to confirm with our team.
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When will I hear back from you?
- Each year, we contact the winner by May 1st. We do not contact individuals who do not receive the scholarship. We publish an annual blog post announcing the winner to the public around the beginning of June. We encourage students who did not win to reapply if they will still be in school the following year.
