Scholarship Recognizes Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Striving for Academic Excellence

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eli Lilly and Company recently announced the winners of the second annual Focus on Your Possibilities scholarship program, the first and only national scholarship program that provides tuition dollars to adults living with attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The tuition dollars are to be used toward college, graduate school, institutes or General Education Development (GED) courses. This year Lilly will award 20 scholarships totaling $100,000.

Katherine M. Fewless of Cadillac, Michigan, a 2006 Focus on Your Possibilities scholarship recipient, is among the 8 million adults in the United States who have ADHD, the vast majority of whom are undiagnosed.(1,2) For Katherine, concentrating in school was never easy. Year after year her report cards read like a broken record, "Katherine rushes through her work, making careless mistakes." It wasn't until she was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult that she realized why she was different from her peers. Finally able to pinpoint the source of her struggles, Katherine felt empowered and now plans to use her scholarship award to pursue her dream of earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA).

"I want to prove to myself and others that ADHD does not have to limit one's possibilities or dreams," said Katherine. "Living with ADHD has shown me that some people learn differently than the majority. Despite these differences, I believe that my struggle with ADHD is the reason why I am an outgoing, active and persistent person. If I can encourage another person to overcome their challenges and succeed, then all the hard work of obtaining an MBA will be worth it."

The 19 additional winners of this year's scholarships are: - Patricia Quilichini, Alpharetta, Georgia - Peter Westre, St. Peter, Minnesota - Michael Hoppe, Springdale, Arizona - Nicholas Ivan Hentschel, Austin, Texas - Annabella Flores, Oakland, California - Marlene Catherine Meier, Chicago, Illinois - Rachel Snyder, New York, New York - Debora Jean Trainor, McAllen, Texas - Jennifer Hutmire, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Paula Perry, Trussville, Alabama - Robin E. Dieken, Columbia, Missouri - Carter Gustav Blocksma, East Lansing, Michigan - Karen M. Querns, Howard, Pennsylvania - Grace A. Moylan, Hamilton, New Jersey - Sherry Smith, Gray, Kentucky - Katherine Tonetti, Whitestone, Indiana - Mario F. Penalver, Chicago, Illinois - James Kilbride, St. Paul, Minnesota - Patricia McCall, LaFeria, Texas

To apply for the Focus on Your Possibilities scholarship adults ages 25 and older had to meet the following criteria:

- Be diagnosed with ADHD by a physician and undergoing treatment. - Enrolled or planning to enroll in an accredited college, university, vocational/technical school or GED program on a full-time basis. - Provide examples of significant drive and passion that enable them to capitalize on their talents through education.

Each application was reviewed by a panel of physician ADHD experts as well as Lilly personnel.

"We were extremely impressed with the high caliber of the applicants this year," said Mary Elizabeth Roth, M.D., FACPE, associate chief academic officer, Geisinger Health Systems, Wilkes Barre, Penn. "Many of the applicants wrote in their personal essays about a lifetime of academic challenges they have faced. We hope this scholarship will provide them with an opportunity to overcome some of these barriers."

About ADHD

ADHD can impact every aspect of an adult's life, leading to difficulties in school and with relationships and employment. In fact, an adult living with ADHD is nearly twice as likely to be fired from a job(3), twice as likely to be divorced or separated(4) and six times more likely to have a suspended driver's license(5).

About Lilly

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers - through medicines and information - for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at http://www.lilly.com/.

References 1 Murphy K, Barkley, RA. J Atten disord. 1996; 1:147-161. 2 United States Census Summary File; 2000. 3 Murphy K, Barkley RA, Compr Psychiatry. 1996;37(6):393-401. 4 Biederman J. et al. Am J Psychiatry. 1993;150(12);1792-1798l. 5 Murphy K, Barkley RA, Compr Psychiatry. 1996;37(6):393-401. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20031219/LLYLOGO )