William Bowles of Sturgis, Kentucky, is the 2006 recipient of the Kevin Child Scholarship. The scholarship is named for Kevin Child, who died of AIDS in 1989, shortly before graduating from college. The $1,000 scholarship is awarded annually to a student with hemophilia or von Willebrand disease who is either currently enrolled in or planning to attend college. Bowles has factor IX deficiency.

Bowles graduated from Union County High School in Morganfield, KY, with a 3.87 grade point average. He was a Kentucky Governor’s Scholar and represented the state in the US Senate Youth Program. He was an officer for several organizations at his school, including serving as vice president of the National Honor Society.

Bowles plans to attend Centre College in Danville and go on to medical school, eventually becoming a pediatric hematologist. He says that one of his greatest inspirations was his brother Chad, who also had hemophilia. Chad died this year as a result of an accident.

For more information on scholarships, click here.