PLEASANTVILLE, NEW YORK, USA, March 2, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Marking the beginning of March’s Brain Injury Awareness month, New York brain injury lawyers De Caro & Kaplen, LLP, have opened applications for their 2020 Traumatic Brain Injury Scholarship award.

Now in its fourth year, the scholarship awards $1,000 to a student who is a survivor of traumatic brain injury and is pursuing a higher education.

Previous winners of the award include art student Luis Fierro Rios, Courtney Bruun-Anderson, a graduate student pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Work at the New York University Silver School of Social Work, and Tiffany Oliverio, who was pursuing a degree in Pre-Occupational and Occupational Therapy at Baker College in Flint, Michigan.

Shana De Caro, a partner in the firm and Vice Chair of the Brain Injury Association of America, explains why the firm introduced the scholarship, “We first introduced our scholarship program in March 2017 to coincide with Brain Injury Awareness month. We were deeply moved by the number of outstanding applications we received, and the courage of the amazing individuals who chose to say, ‘No. I will not let my brain injury stop me from pursuing my dreams’. After awarding the first scholarship to Courtney Bruun-Anderson in August 2017, we decided that our scholarship should be an annual fund, and we are excited to be able to assist another student in 2020.”

Last year’s winner, Luis Fierro Rios, was in his first semester of the M.F.A- Master of Fine Art program at California State University of Fullerton when he was struck by a van during a class outing, and sustained a traumatic brain injury. Presenting the award to Rios in October 2019, Michael Kaplen, a partner in the firm, who chairs the New York State Traumatic Brain Injury Services Coordinating Council and is a former President of the Brain Injury Association of New York, commented:

“We were impressed by Mr. Fierro Rios’ drive to resume his education, but also his bravery in continuing to pursue a career in teaching. Social interactions can be difficult after brain injury, so it would have been easy for Mr Fierro Rios to choose a less interactive career. But Mr Fierro Rios has refused to let his injury control his future, and we hope that our scholarship will help him achieve his goals.”

The 2020 Traumatic Brain Injury Scholarship is open to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are currently enrolled in, or accepted to enroll at an accredited college or university within the United States, and have sustained a traumatic brain injury from an accident or traumatic event.

To apply, eligible students should fill in the application form on De Caro & Kaplen's website, and submit an essay describing the circumstances of their injury, and how they have worked to overcome it while pursuing an education.

Brain Injury Awareness Month is an annual public awareness campaign led by the Brain Injury Association of America. The campaign, which runs throughout March, aims to de-stigmatize brain injury through outreach within the brain injury community, empower those who have survived brain injury and their caregivers, and promote the many types of support that are available to people living with brain injury.

Applications for De Caro & Kaplen’s, 2020 Traumatic Brain Injury Scholarship are now open at https://brainlaw.com/traumatic-brain-injury-scholarship-fund/, with a deadline for entry of August 1st. The winner of this year’s award will be announced in September 2020.

Michael V. Kaplen
De Caro & Kaplen, LLP
(914) 747 4410
email us here

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.