Click to visit Camp I Am Me site2026 Scholarship Recipients!
Congratulations to Amayah Myszak, Briana Bucaro, Dayla Jones, Janine Hadid, Ben Iammartino, Alison Moll, Elena Sommers, Megan Kolpacki, and Scott Johnson, our 2025 scholarship winners.
The 2026 recipient of the Barbara Latenser memorial scholarship, Briana Bucaro suffered severe road rash burn injuries, among many other injuries as well, from a bad car accident just a couple years ago. Treated at the Loyola burn unit, Briana’s desires for her life have changed drastically since her car crash. Crediting the burn nurses who took such good care of her and a tour of the health and sciences division at Aurora University, Briana wants to pass her experience onto others like herself and pursue a career in treating burn injuries as a surgeon. As a sophomore at Aurora University studying pre-med, Briana earned straight A's and high honors for the second year in a row while taking a job tutoring other students. Looking to use her phlebotomy certification, Briana plans to work in the field before med school while continuing her studies at Aurora University.
Alison Moll, hailing from Cross Plains, WI, is the 2026 recipient of the Alex Collazo memorial scholarship. At just two years old, Alison tripped and fell into a dwindling campfire and suffered extensive burns to her left leg, arm and hand. As hard as it is to be picked on as a young child with burn scars, Alison kept an upbeat and loving attitude. She is an exceptional student, an athlete in soccer and swimming, an active member of her community and has found a passion for participating more deeply in the burn survivor community since starting her college career. Alison will finish her undergraduate studies this coming fall at the University of Wisconsin in rehabilitation psychology after crediting the occupational therapists that worked with her during her recovery for providing such loving and attentive care.
Janine Hadid is the 2026 recipient of the Jorge Mijares memorial scholarship and a young entrepreneur from Orland Park, Illinois. Along with the rest of her family, Janine was severely burned in a house fire. It’s left her with scars and physical limitations, but she hasn’t let it slow her down. She graduated from high school with over 100 hours of community service and had become a counselor at Camp I Am Me after years of attending as a camper. Her passion for helping others runs deep, having traveled abroad teaching young underprivileged kids to skateboard. This, combined with her love for art, led her to create her own skate brand during a hiatus from college. Now living in Milwaukee, Janine has become involved in the community through the Islamic Society of Milwaukee as she continues her education in urban planning and architecture at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee.
Dayia Jones is a resilient young woman who was burned by scalding hot water from McDonalds at the age of nine. Her injuries combined with her ADHD made her childhood and school difficult, but over the years, she’s learned to heal from her injuries and her negative self-image stemming from them: physically, emotionally and mentally. After spending the last thirteen years in the childcare space, including currently working in adolescent behavioral mental rehabilitation facilities, Dayia is motivated to become a Physician Assistant specializing in pediatrics where she can use her childhood experience advocating for children’s health. She is pursuing her degree at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois.
From Syracuse, Indiana, Elena Sommers is heading back to Oregon State University for her final year of college as the 2026 recipient of the Kelly Skiles memorial scholarship. As a four-year-old girl, Elena suffered serious burns to her arms due to a grease fire spill while attempting to help her dad in the kitchen. She hasn’t let the injury hold herself back one bit. Elena earned National Honors Society recognition as a junior and a senior in high school and Academic Hall of Fame as a senior while participating in the student council and working part-time. An avid animal lover, for as long as she can remember Elena has wanted to be a veterinarian. While also continuing to participate in ROTC, Elena will be finishing her undergrad degree next year with an eye toward a post-grad education in Veterinary Medicine.
Megan Kolpacki, 2026 recipient of the Tim Miller memorial scholarship, is an inspirational young woman who was injured at the age of twelve when her house went up in flames due to a gas leak. Her dad was able to find her and throw flaming drywall off her, getting her out in time. After months of being in and out of the hospital, Megan went back to school attempting to hide her scars, but after a week spent at Camp I Am Me the following summer, she returned with pride in her scars and her experience, even helping another student at her school find his confidence following his own burn injury. Crediting the nurses that helped in her recovery and already beginning to work as a patient care technician, Megan will continue studying to become a nurse this coming fall at the University of St. Francis in Joliet.
Blake Ryden, recipient of the 2026 Caper Brown memorial scholarship, is an honor roll high-school student beginning his collegiate journey this coming year at Michigan State University. Blake was just two years when spilled coffee burned 27% of his body: the neck, chest, back, stomach and arm. His recovery hasn’t always been easy and still presents challenges that Blake hasn’t let stop him, becoming an All-State high school lacrosse goalie and team captain after doctors told him he may not even be able to put on a helmet. Lacrosse taught Blake leadership, resilience and teamwork, aspects he aspires to be able to pass down as an adult. Also an avid volunteer in his community putting in time at the food pantry, Blake wants to use his experience and intelligence to become a teacher and coach in position to genuinely affect kids’ lives for the better.
Ben Iammartino not only suffered a serious burn injury at the age of five but also a spinal cord injury as a teenager, making him paraplegic. He credits his burn injury as a boy for gifting him with the determination and perseverance to endure the spinal cord injury and recover from it as well. After attending Camp I Am Me and being a part of the burn survivor community there, Ben wants to use his life experience to become a social worker specializing in trauma. During his time in college, Ben has taken an active role in advocating for equal access and rights for the disabled. This fall, Ben will continue his studies in psychology at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire while also serving as co-president of the university’s chapter of DREAM (Disability, Rights, Education, Activism and Mentoring).
Amya Anderson, a Chicago native and high school graduate as of the spring of 2026, was severely burned on over 70% of her body playing with a lighter when she was just five years old. The extent of her injuries required her to be in the hospital for a year which included many surgeries and rehab just to be able to re-learn how to perform basic movements with her body. She has shown an incredible resilience in bouncing back from her injuries, not letting them slow her down. Amya has performed well in school while also working part-time jobs to support her big dreams. She wants to be a criminal justice lawyer while also earning her real estate license with plans to buy and fix up her own house. This coming fall, Amya will begin her collegiate journey at University of Missouri Saint Louis.
Amayah Myszak is a determined young woman passionate about helping children. As a seventh grader she was badly burned at a birthday party when her friend’s father tried to revive the fire using gasoline. It exploded right in front of her, setting her on a many-month journey of recovery between Loyola Burn Center in Chicago and Shriner’s Hospital in Boston. Amayah credits Camp I Am Me for giving her a place to feel accepted and loved after her injuries and continues to return every year, now as a camp counselor. The people she has met along the way as a burn survivor have inspired her to pursue a career in Child Development, wanting to become a child life specialist continuing her college career this coming fall at Texas Women’s University.
The recipient of the 2026 Dan Yost memorial scholarship, Chloe Corley suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 13% of her body at just two years old. The struggles she endured recovering have inspired her to pursue a career in nursing where she can pass along her personal experience in helping others to recover. Living near the Quad Cities in western Illinois, Chloe has attended the YMCA Miracle Burn Camp, first as a camper and later as a counselor. This last year, she hosted the annual special campfire, an after-dark event where the campers share their experience, so they feel heard and seen. Chloe loves passing along the experiences she received as a camper. An honor roll student in high school, Chloe will now begin her collegiate career at Blackhawk College in Moline, Illinois with the intention of becoming a burn nurse.