We are proud and excited to announce our 2025 Purple Playas Foundation’s Anne Nymark Young Adult Grantees. These nine young adults are each receiving $1,000 to further their educational goals. We thank each of them for sharing their stories. Join us in congratulating each of them.

Alexis has Systemic Onset Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (sJIA) and Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS) and will attend Withlacoochee Technical College to become a welder.

My personal dreams are perhaps a bit benign. I want to have a job that lets me travel to places I would never see and meet people I would never meet if I stayed home. One day I would like to own a business that supports people like me. Luckily, the trade I’m pursuing is often known to be lucrative. The strength I need specifically to achieve my goals is determination to continue pursuing them, to keep hope for my ideal future.

Ashley has Systemic Onset Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (sJIA) and will be attending Paul Mitchell School for cosmetology.

My dream is to become a hairstylist for both men and women. I’ve always had a passion for hair and helping people look their best. This grant means the world to me! I have the chance to pursue my dream career, and I am incredibly grateful and motivated to make the most of it!

Courtney has Juvenile Ankylosing Spondylitis, Myasthenia Gravis, Hypermobility Syndrome, POTS, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, with overlapping medical issues. She will be attending Xavier College to pursue becoming a lawyer.

Seven years ago, I was told I had only two years left to live — a moment that changed everything. At just ten years old, I was forced to confront the unimaginable, but I refused to let that prognosis define me. I’ve lived by the belief, “Don’t put a period where God put a comma.”

Ifeoluwa has Systemic Lupus Erythema and will be attending University of West Florida to pursue becoming a medical malpractice lawyer.

When you have a chronic illness like lupus, people often see you as incapable or less than because of it. For so long, I fought tooth and nail to prove to everyone around me that having lupus did not put a pause on my life. In the end, it took my parents’ guidance and support to finally accept that asking for help does not make me weak, it makes me stronger.

Luis has Systemic Onset Juvenile Arthritis/Still’s Disease and will be attending Amarillo College to pursue nursing.

I was hospitalized for 25 days missing the first 6 weeks of my senior year. While being hospitalized I encountered some amazing nurses at our local hospital. Since then, my goal is to pursue a nursing degree so that I can give back to others. They say God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers, and I believe this is very true.

Makena has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and POTS and will be attending St. Petersburg College to pursue nursing.

My dream is to become a NICU nurse. I have always loved babies and hope to make a difference in the lives of children and families during the most vulnerable times of their lives.