Live Like Lou’s founder, Neil Alexander, embodied the spirit of the word "onward" when he thought of his journey with Lou Gehrig’s disease. It signifies that we look to the future—a future without ALS—while continuing forward each day, despite the odds we face. "Onward" has become a signature statement for friends of Live Like Lou and its volunteer efforts to support ALS families.

In recognition of the outstanding accomplishments of our 2024 Iron Horse Scholarship finalists, Live Like Lou was pleased to fund one-time Onward Awards to the following students in ALS families to continue their post-secondary academic pursuits:

Daniel Campbell—University of the Pacific Music Conservatory; Daniel's father, Lance, was diagnosed with ALS in 2017 and passed away in 2018.

Zoe Champion—University of Alabama at Birmingham; Zoe's father, Robert, was diagnosed with ALS in 2021.

Noa Davis—Miami University; Noa's father, Scott, was diagnosed with ALS in 2022.

Jewels Davis—Villanova University; Jewels' grandfather, Rickie, was diagnosed with ALS in 2019 and passed away in 2020.

Jacob Bills —University of Utah; Jacob's father, Shane, was diagnosed with ALS in 2023.

Haley Garman—Minnesota State University—Mankato; Haley's father, Jason, was diagnosed with ALS in 2023.

Melany Godinez—St. John's University; Melany's mother, Ingrid, was diagnosed with ALS in 2022.

Jenny Bui—Rhodes College; Jenny's father, My (Mike), was diagnosed with ALS in 2022.

Morgan Burnett—Brigham Young University; Morgan's father, Garrett, was diagnosed with ALS in 2022.

Sara Curry—Arizona State University; Sara's father, William, was diagnosed with ALS in 2022 and passed away in 2023.

Elizabeth Fortier—University of Maryland; Elizabeth's mother, Anne, was diagnosed with ALS in 2011 and passed away in 2014.

Grayson Galentine—Cumberland University; Grayson's father, Bryan, was diagnosed with ALS in 2016 and passed away in 2020.

Mitchell Goodman—University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee; Mitchell's father, Jason, was diagnosed with ALS in 2017 and passed away in 2023.

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Dmitri Gorely—Colorado School of Mines or South Dakota School of Mines; Dmitri's grandfather Bob was diagnosed with ALS in 2019 and passed away in 2021.

Ali Khawaja—Rutgers University - Newark; Ali's father Tabassum (Tom) was diagnosed with ALS in 2018.

Jillienne Winn—The University of Arizona; Jillienne's stepfather was diagnosed with ALS in 2021 and passed away in 2023.

Maycee Wilkie—Iowa State University; Maycee's father Mark was diagnosed with ALS in 2018 and passed away in 2019.

Griffin Wallick—Binghamton University; Griffin's father David was diagnosed with ALS in 2021 and passed away in 2023.

Eunice Kim—UC Irvine; Eunice's father Sung was diagnosed with ALS in 2022.

Katherine Stadum—College of Saint Benedict; Katherine's mother Jennifer was diagnosed with ALS in 2020.

Aleigha Horton—Northwest Missouri State University; Aleigha's mother Kellie was diagnosed with ALS in 2022.

Elizabeth Kameen—Moravian University; Elizabeth's father Joseph was diagnosed with ALS in 2012 and passed away in 2020.

Jocelyn Little—Gettysburg College; Jocelyn's father Robert was diagnosed with ALS in 2022.

Rachel Townsend—Northern Kentucky University; Rachel's father Raymond was diagnosed with ALS in 2021.

Savannah Sparkes—Northern Arizona University; Savannah's stepfather Jeffrey was diagnosed with ALS in 2023 and passed away in 2023.

Olivia Rosica—Majoring in Business and Finance; Olivia's father Bryan was diagnosed with ALS in 2020.

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Kennedy McIntosh—Pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing; Kennedy's father, Owen, was diagnosed with ALS in 2022 and passed away in 2024.

Jacob Maza—Webster University; Jacob's mother, Shannon, was diagnosed with ALS in 2018 and passed away earlier this year.

Brianna Gilbert—Western Carolina University; Brianna's father, James, was diagnosed with ALS in 2021 and passed away in 2023.

Alexis Gilbert—Western Carolina University; Alexis' father, James, was diagnosed with ALS in 2021 and passed away in 2023.

Reagan Olivier—Augustana University; Reagan's father, Jerry, was diagnosed with ALS in 2019 and passed away in 2022.

Liana Martin—Colorado State University, Fort Collins; Liana's father, Steven, was diagnosed with ALS in 2018 and passed away in 2021.

Diana Olsen—Grand Canyon University; Diana's husband Gideon was diagnosed with ALS in 2022.

Ian Olivier—Augustana University; Ian's father, Jerry, was diagnosed with  ALS in 2019 and passed away in 2022.

Olivia Wulff—University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire; Olivia's father, Daniel, was diagnosed with ALS in 2021.

Tighlie Steuber — Penn State University; Tighlie's father, William, was diagnosed with ALS in 2019.