Injury Advocacy Scholarship Winners

Thank you to all scholarship applicants who submitted their essays and took their time to apply. Find out more about our selected scholarship winners below.

2025 Injury Advocacy Scholarship Winner: Madilyn Hagwell

Madilyn Hagwell is from Mokena, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. She recently graduated from Providence Catholic High School and she’s now a freshman at Texas Christian University, where she’s pursuing a degree in Nursing. Inspired by her mother, a labor and delivery nurse, and by her own medical experiences as a child, she hopes to become a registered nurse specializing in labor and delivery or midwifery.

Service and advocacy have always been central to her life. She volunteers in the emergency department at Silver Cross Hospital, where she supports patients and staff during moments of stress and vulnerability. She has also served on the Executive Junior Board of Young Hearts for Life, an organization that provides free ECG heart screenings to high school students. In this role, she helped raise more than $50,000 through our annual 5K fundraiser.

Beyond healthcare, she has been actively involved in community service projects like Sharefest food distributions and fostering kittens through the National Animal Welfare Society. As she begins her journey at TCU, she is excited to continue serving others and pursuing her passion for healthcare and advocacy.

“I am incredibly honored to be selected as the 2025 Schlack & Bassmaji Injury Advocacy Scholarship winner. This award not only supports my education at Texas Christian University but also strengthens my commitment to serving and advocating for others in times of need. Knowing that my story and experiences resonated with the committee means so much to me. Scholarships like this help make it possible for students like me to pursue higher education with less financial strain. I am truly grateful for this recognition and excited to continue my path toward becoming a nurse.”