Celebrating SODA's 2025 Scholarship Recipients

We’re excited to introduce the recipients of our 2025 scholarships: the Daniel Gives Back Scholarship, the HBCU Donation Advocacy Scholarship, and the Student Advocacy Scholarship.

In collaboration with Daniel Gives Back and Second Chance Fundraising, we recognized outstanding students for their excellence in leadership, academics, and community engagement, and for their passion for organ, eye, and tissue donation advocacy. 

Each recipient was awarded $1,000 to host a donation advocacy event in the 2025-2026 academic year. From hosting speaker panels to encouraging open dialogue to giving a TEDx Talk, our scholarship recipients hit it out of the park with eight creative advocacy events. Through their dedication, they helped inspire, educate, and encourage hundreds of their peers to register as donors.

So, without further ado, please join SODA National in celebrating our incredible 2025 scholarship recipients!

Semira created a space for open dialogue where her peers could ask questions and share their concerns regarding donation. Inspired by the confusion and medical mistrust she has observed in communities of color, she wanted to host an event to address myths and foster honest conversations. Semira said her favorite part of the advocacy event was the conversations she had, which taught her that advocacy wasn’t just about convincing people, but about building trust. This advocacy event strengthened her interest in pursuing a career in medicine, through which she will continue to approach difficult topics with empathy, cultural awareness, and patience.  

Kennedy hosted “Donuts for Donors” on her campus to encourage students to learn more about SODA’s organization and mission. While giving away donuts, she sparked conversations regarding donation, during which she addressed misconceptions and areas of mistrust. Kennedy said her favorite part of the event was seeing her peers’ reactions in real time as they learned new information about organ, eye, and tissue donation. 

Mary hosted “Pumpkins and Purpose,” an event that combined meaningful education with creative expression. Mary’s interest in donation advocacy stems from her own experience as a pediatric heart transplant recipient. The cohost of her event was Dr. Cyphersmith, a professor from UIUC who is also a lung transplant recipient. Attendees heard firsthand from a recipient, Dr. Cyphersmith, before decorating pumpkins to celebrate fall. Mary said her favorite part of the event was being able to hear and relate to Dr. Cyphersmith’s story, which she found extremely moving and relatable to her own experiences. 

Addison hosted “Donuts and Donors,” an event at which she connected with her community and shared facts about donation by giving away donuts. She was inspired to become a donor advocate after her grandfather passed away unexpectedly and became an organ donor. Her grandfather’s selfless act inspired her and others in her family to register as donors. Addison said her favorite part of the event was being able to clear up misconceptions about donation. She said she felt like the experience helped her come out of her shell and learn to become a better leader, and she feels inspired to continue her advocacy journey.

Hannah hosted “Lemonade and Learn,” an event to educate her peers on donation and registration, in collaboration with Globe Med, another organization on campus that focuses on public health advocacy. Her event garnered a lot of attention with more than 50 attendees. Hannah said her favorite part of the event was bringing together preexisting and potential donors alike to ask questions and express their interest in donation. 

Braniya hosted “Gift of Life: Organ Donation Awareness,” an event to educate and promote conversations about donation, in collaboration with her local chapter of the National Society of Black Women in Medicine and her local organ procurement organization, the Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA). At her event,  Braniya shared a video featuring her mom, who has struggled with kidney failure and is currently on the transplant waiting list. In the video, Braniya’s mom talked about her conditions and urged others, especially people in communities of color, to become donors and advocates. Her event also featured Cheryl Hills, a representative from LOPA, and a fun jeopardy game. Braniya said her favorite part of the experience was learning more about LOPA’s work, and she looks forward to continuing the conversation about donation. 

Emilio’s passion for donation stems from his experience as a kidney transplant recipient.  In 2025, he started a new SODA chapter at Wake Forest University, and he has since recruited more than 50 students to join the club. Over the course of the 2025 semester, his chapter hosted numerous events, and in spring of 2026, he even spoke on how donation saved his life in a moving TEDx talk at his university. Emilio hopes to continue the momentum by working with the regenerative medicine department at Wake Forest to research ways of developing a legalized and regulated organ market.

Check out Emilio’s inspiring TEDx Talk about the miracle of the gift of life.

Megan hosted “Pizza and Perspectives” for her advocacy event. It featured one living donor, one transplant recipient, and one speaker from Gift of Hope, her local OPO, who all came to share their experiences. Megan has been involved with SODA since she was an undergraduate student, when she first heard stories from transplant recipients and was inspired to become an advocate. In Spring 2025, she started her own SODA chapter at her medical school, where she works to educate her peers—future providers—on organ, eye, and tissue donation to close the gap in knowledge. Megan said she plans to host another panel where she will integrate the perspectives of doctors and social workers into the discussion. She also hopes to formally integrate lessons on donation into UIUC’s official medical school curriculum.  

Amelia hosted “Soda for SODA,” where she gave out drinks with donation facts attached to more than 100 students to spark conversations. She also leads her own SODA chapter on campus and continues to encourage conversations about donation. Her inspiration for being an advocate stems from her own experiences as a kidney transplant recipient. Amelia said her favorite part of the event was connecting with other students, and she reflected on how impactful it was to answer questions and be a resource to others.

To learn more about SODA’s scholarships and how current and incoming college students can apply, visit SODA's Scholarships Page.

Thank you to our 2025 scholarship sponsors, Daniel Gives Back and Second Chance Fundraising, for their generous support and commitment to advancing student-led organ donation advocacy. These scholarships would not be possible without their partnership, along with the dedication of our Scholarship Selection Committees and OPO partners. We are deeply grateful for your continued support.