Annual College Scholarships for Students with Tourette Syndrome

Author: Dollars 4 Tic Scholars
Published: 2015/02/18 - Updated: 2023/09/14
Publication Type: Announcement / Notification
Topic: Disability Scholarships - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Mother and daughter establish non-profit organization to award college scholarships to students with Tourette Syndrome. We want to increase the opportunity for students with Tourette Syndrome to earn degrees and contribute to society. Our tagline is 'College Scholarships for Movers & Shakers, Encouraging Students who have Tourette Syndrome.'

Introduction

Diane and Kelsey Diamantis started The Kelsey B. Diamantis TS Scholarship Family Foundation, Inc. in response to the lack of scholarships available when Kelsey, who has Tourette's, was an incoming college freshman in 2010.

Main Item

Tourette syndrome (Tourette's syndrome, Tourette's disorder, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, GTS, Tourette's or TS) is an inherited neurological disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by the presence of multiple physical (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane. The exact cause of Tourette's is unknown, but it is well established that both genetic and environmental factors are involved.

Kelsey, a fourth grade teacher, noted,

"We were excited to be able to award our first scholarship in 2015. With the help of our family, friends, supporters and the crowd-funding campaign, we hope to support additional scholarships."

"Kelsey and I found college scholarships for a multitude of parameters, but none specifically for students who have Tourette Syndrome," said Diane Diamantis. "There is one offered in New Jersey that we found later, but as Florida residents, this was not available to us. We decided to create the opportunity ourselves for students around the country, and in August of 2014 we achieved status as a 501c3 public charity."

Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by chronic motor and vocal tics.

"Students with Tourette's have challenges focusing on their studies while they try to resist tics in class," said Kelsey. "In addition, according to a study by the CDC, we found that approximately 86% of people with Tourette Syndrome also have accompanying disorders such as ADHC, and almost one third have OCD. These students have enough to worry about without worrying about college tuition costs, which may be amplified by the need to pay for tutors, counseling, repeating classes or even the cost of medication."

Diane commented:

"We want to increase the opportunity for students with Tourette Syndrome to earn degrees and contribute to society. Our tagline is 'College Scholarships for Movers & Shakers, Encouraging Students who have Tourette Syndrome.'"

Diamantis notes that scholarships will be for books, fees and tuition and will be made jointly to the student and educational institution. The number of available scholarships will depend on funds raised.

Also see: Yearly Scholarships for Students with Tourette Syndrome

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Dollars 4 Tic Scholars and published on 2015/02/18, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Dollars 4 Tic Scholars can be contacted at dollars4ticscholars.org NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.