Courage to Continue Scholarship
The Courage to Continue Scholarship honors the strength, courage, and perseverance of students who have overcome life-threatening health conditions during their K-12 years and was inspired by Morgan Johnson’s journey. Created to support students whose educational journeys have been shaped by significant medical challenges, the scholarship provides financial assistance to help them continue their education at accredited post-secondary institutions throughout Minnesota.
This scholarship awards $1,000 for the 2027 spring semester. Application deadline: November 1st at 11:59pm.
Scholarship Qualifications
- Awards will be available for students who have graduated from a Minnesota high school.
- Are enrolled part-time or full-time at an accredited post-secondary institution in Minnesota
- Experienced a life-threatening health condition during their K-12 school years
- Are pursuing an undergraduate degree, diploma, certificate, or other undergraduate post-secondary credential
- Graduate and PSEO students are ineligible.
Students may receive this scholarship more than once but must reapply each year and continue to meet eligibility requirements.
Scholarship Requirements
- Completed LeadMN scholarship application
- Unofficial high school or college transcript
- One letter of recommendation
- Short essay (300-500 words) describing your experience with a life-threatening health condition, how you demonstrated courage and perseverance during that journey, and what the experience taught you about yourself. Please write your response as a paragraph-style essay rather than a bulleted list.
Definition of a Life-Threatening Health Condition
For the purposes of this scholarship, a life-threatening health condition is a serious illness or medical event that posed a significant risk of death and required intensive medical intervention, prolonged treatment, or hospitalization.
During her freshman year of high school, Morgan was diagnosed with a life-threatening genetic heart defect that she had been born with. The diagnosis led to emergency open-heart surgery at Mayo Clinic to save her life. Throughout the rest of high school, she balanced her recovery, ongoing medical care, and health-related absences while continuing to prioritize her education. Despite these challenges, Morgan remained focused on her academic goals and successfully graduated from high school before continuing her education at the University of Denver. Her experience demonstrates resilience, determination, and the ability to adapt in the face of significant obstacles.