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Educational dreams are often never met due to financial difficulties. For aspiring students with spinal cord injuries however, this worry can be bypassed with the help of the generous Nielsen Scholarship Program. Martrell Stevens, a college student with a spinal cord injury, is one of the lucky recipients of this program. Paralyzed as a child by gun violence, Stevens’ future could have gone in a much different direction.
“If I had never been chosen to be a Neilsen scholar, I would’ve probably had to take out 10s of thousands of dollars to help support my aspirations of attending college. My family is low-income, so this scholarship has taken a world of stress off of their shoulders as well as mine.”
Better Late, Than Never
The Nielsen Scholarship Program is the brainchild of Craig H. Nielsen, a quadriplegic who achieved financial success after his injury and wanted to share his wealth with others with spinal cord injuries. “In 1985, a collision with a semi-truck left Craig with a severe spinal cord injury. His life experience following his injury motivated him to improve the quality of life for other people living with SCI. He established the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation in 2002 to pursue his philanthropic goals, devoting the same entrepreneurial spirit to the Foundation that made him so successful in business.” (from their site)
What makes this program noteworthy is that the Nielsen Scholarship Program provides a full-ride scholarship to select universities to students with spinal cord injuries. It also pays for all of the additional student fees and living expenses. Unfortunately, they are unable to pay for all students with spinal cord injuries across the country, which means you must be chosen.
“The process of submitting my name to become a Neilsen Scholar was fairly straightforward and easy to follow,” says Stevens. “I first submitted my application and answered a few questions about my area of study, lifestyle, and hobbies.” And if he hadn’t been active in sports, he may have not even known about the program. “I first heard about the Neilsen Scholarship during my sophomore year through my wheelchair basketball coach and athletic program director Maureen Gilbert.”
Bachelor’s to Master’s Goals
Stevens recently finished his degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor’s of Science in Recreation, Sports and Tourism with a concentration in Sport Management. “My degree has helped me develop an understanding of all the different aspects of running a sports organization, so I look forward to using that knowledge to potentially start my own nonprofit aimed at helping kids with disabilities play adaptive athletics and attend college.”
But he isn’t done with his educational goals. Stevens is now working on his Master’s degree. “I am not leaving school just yet! I was recently accepted into the Recreation, Sport, and Tourism Graduate School (at his alma mater) so I look forward to continuing my education studies and hopefully my relationship with the Neilsen family. After completing my graduate degree, I hope to launch my nonprofit and impact the lives of people who deserve the opportunities I have had within my life.”
Stevens is also busy with internships and wheelchair basketball, the latter which he has high aspiration for. “I was invited to participate in my first senior men’s USA basketball tryout. I was fortunate enough to make the first roster cut from 40 people to 20! I have 2nd roster cut tryouts coming up this summer in July. In a couple of weeks from June 12-20th, I will be competing in the IWBF World Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil for a chance at world gold.”
Outside of making the next Paralympics in 2028, he has even bigger goals for basketball. “I have dreams of playing professional basketball in Europe after school.” This summer however Stevens will be plenty busy with his internship, which will be with Christel House International. “I applied to work for Christel House International in Indiana,” he says. “I received and accepted an offer from their administrative office this summer and I look forward to learning more about the organization and helping advance their mission.”
And for anyone interested in possibly becoming a Nielsen scholar, Stevens encourages everyone to apply if you are eligible. “My advice would be to apply every year because being a part of this family and benefiting from the Neilsen Scholarship is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I feel honored to have been the beneficiary of this for the past 3 years and I encourage everyone eligible to aspire to take advantage of such an amazing opportunity.”
— Learn more about the Nielsen Scholarship Program
— Follow Martrell’s journey
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