Berger and Green has selected Ashley H. Calogero as the recipient of its 2025 Heart Disease Scholarship, awarding $1,000 to support her studies in Global Security and Intelligence Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The scholarship recognizes students living with heart disease who demonstrate resilience and ambition in overcoming significant health challenges.
Calogero was born with a rare congenital heart defect that required life-saving surgery just hours after her birth. Despite doctors' predictions of multiple surgeries with uncertain outcomes, she survived with only one procedure. Growing up with visible scars, she initially struggled with feelings of being "born broken" but later embraced them as symbols of strength, influenced by her Japanese grandmother's advice: "nana korobi ya oki," meaning "fall down seven times, get up eight."
Her resilience was tested again when her application to a military academy was medically disqualified due to her childhood heart surgery. Rather than accepting defeat, Calogero reframed the setback as motivation, writing in her scholarship essay: "If I faced such a major challenge in the first hours of my life, I can do anything." This perspective aligns with the scholarship's mission to honor perseverance amid extraordinary challenges.
At Embry-Riddle, Calogero is pursuing a degree that prepares students to identify and prevent national and international threats. Her extracurricular involvement includes varsity tennis, Student Council, Interact Club, and the National Honor Society, where she tutored peers. She aims to earn a commission as an Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Air Force and eventually transition to a federal agency to continue serving the nation.
The Berger and Green Heart Disease Scholarship underscores the importance of supporting individuals who turn personal health struggles into drivers of achievement and service. Calogero's story highlights how medical conditions need not limit aspirations, offering inspiration to others facing similar obstacles and emphasizing the value of resilience in academic and professional pursuits.
