Cancer Survivor Joshua Cottle Awarded Friedman & Simon Academic Scholarship for Pediatric Oncology Aspirations

Joshua Cottle, a biology major at the University of Florida, has been awarded the 2024 Friedman & Simon Academic Scholarship, a $1,500 award supporting his pre-med track with aspirations to specialize in pediatric oncology. The scholarship recognizes Cottle's academic achievements and personal journey, which includes overcoming large-cell lymphoma diagnosed during his freshman year of high school.

In his winning essay, Cottle detailed his harrowing cancer battle and how documenting his experience on YouTube provided purpose and connection during his treatment. Scrolling through the positive comments from both interested people and fellow patients, I was simultaneously elated by the positivity and made melancholy by the heartfelt comments relating their own experiences to mine, Cottle wrote. I finally felt a little less alone in my skin.

Cottle credited his family as an invaluable source of strength throughout his ordeal, particularly his mother who encouraged him to continue his coursework despite his illness, and his grandfather who inspired him by working his way out of a Puerto Rican slum to become a doctor. He didn't let his life experiences or the cards he was dealt when he was born hinder him from achieving his goals, Cottle noted about his grandfather's influence.

After making a full recovery by December 2021, Cottle began focusing on his future, realizing that there is no greater joy for me than to inspire hope in others in the most despairing of situations. He is already involved with his school's Health Science Student Organization and describes his ultimate goal as using his personal experience with cancer to support other young people facing similar medical challenges.

The Friedman & Simon Academic Scholarship, presented annually by Friedman & Simon Injury Lawyers L.L.P., recognizes students whose academic achievements and life experiences reflect the law firm's values of community commitment and supporting others in need. Cottle's selection highlights the importance of personal resilience and the transformative power of turning personal adversity into motivation for helping others.