Fall 2023 Scholarship Winner

Madison Ann Cofer

Acker Warren is excited to name Madison Ann Cofer as a recipient of our Fresh Start Scholarship. Madison’s essay describes the struggles she has faced due to an untreated tumor that lead to numerous surgeries and significant time at the oral surgeon’s office. Read on to learn more about Madison’s journey.

Read Madison's Essay:

Over the course of my high school career, I have dealt with a long list of health issues, the most impactful of these being multiple central giant cell granulomas. For those who do not speak fancy medical terms, I usually describe it as an extremely aggressive tumor that was left untreated for months during the Covid shut down. It killed 5 of my teeth and destroyed most of the bone structure in my left cheek. Over the past four years I have had 5 surgeries regarding these tumors with many more in my future. I have had about a million different prosthetics and partial dentures over the years to fill the gap of missing teeth, but there still have been long periods of time when I could not wear them. I would say, being a teenage girl, this has been one of the hardest parts for me. After being a frequent patient at the oral surgeon’s office, the doctor offered me a summer job to do sterilization. Soon it went from being a summer job to a full time after- school job where I am now a surgical assistant. After being in many surgeries, it became clear to me that I wanted to be an oral surgeon. Although this is not technically a “fresh start”, in some ways I think it is. When I picture myself being an oral surgeon, I see it as an opportunity to be seen not as the patient anymore, but now the doctor. Which is something especially important to me, as a teenage girl who has spent a good chunk of her life being in the doctor’s office or the hospital. Being the patient has such a vulnerable feeling. I would much rather be in a situation where I am in control of the outcome. I fully intend to use my story to encourage young girls going through the same things I have been through, that they can get through them too. The schooling to be an oral surgeon tends to be about 10 years. Although that seems like a long time, I feel that I will be able handle it, considering this is something I am extremely passionate about. The cause for the type of benign tumor I had us unknown as of right now, but I hope to make major contributions to the studies in the future. I have told my parents that I want to fully pay for my college. Most of the money they had set aside for my college had to be used to cover my medical bills, which is why I am applying for this scholarship. I am trying my hardest to graduate without a large baggage of student loans, since I will be going to graduate school immediately after. I greatly appreciate your time and this opportunity, and I hope my story will help my odds in the running for this scholarship.