It was her dad’s near-fatal stroke that further motivated Lilly Nguyen’s dream to be a neurosurgeon who specializes in stroke recovery. This 1,000 Dreams Fund Scholarship recipient is already on her way, having written a stroke case report that was published in a medical journal! She is planning on pursuing a B.S./M.D. program and majoring in neuroscience in college.

What is your professional dream?

My dream is to be a neurosurgeon and specialize in stroke recovery.

How will you use the 1,000 Dreams Scholarship?

The 1,000 Dreams Scholarship will go towards my school tuition and textbook costs.

How is this scholarship helping you get closer to your dream?

Alleviating financial expenditure towards my present education will enable me to build my savings for the financial barriers that will come with medical school.

​What advice do you have for other young women who are wanting to pursue their dreams?

Never judge yourself based on other people’s expectations. You’re the only person who will ever understand your passions and goals, and nobody else should influence the pace of your journey.

​Have you had any setbacks? How did you move past them?

In 2018, my dad suffered a near-fatal ischemic stroke. I was 13 years old and didn’t know how to handle the emotional consequences. I coped by learning everything about the mechanisms, and faults thereof, of my dad’s condition. I wrote a stroke case report that was published in a medical journal and am working on becoming a lab assistant for a professor whose research centers on stroke aphasia.

What’s next for you? What is your next goal?

My next steps are volunteering in the Neuro-ICU unit at AdventHealth Orlando and applying for a B.S./M.D. program.