Jillian George Awarded 2025 Epilepsy Foundation Scholarship

The Schmidthorst College of Business is thrilled to celebrate one of its own, Jillian George, who has been named the 2025 recipient of the Epilepsy Foundation of Northwest Ohio’s annual scholarship. The award honors George’s outstanding academic achievements, leadership and unwavering determination.

Specializing in marketing and finance and a member of the Honors College, George exemplifies the spirit of resilience. Diagnosed with complex-partial left temporal lobe epilepsy at age 10, she faced years of drug-resistant seizures before undergoing a successful lobectomy in 2020. She has been seizure-free ever since.

“Epilepsy taught me how much drive I have,” George said. “After my surgery, I worked harder than ever before and slowly began to prove myself wrong. I now have a far greater appreciation for my abilities and accomplishments.”

George’s journey has been marked by perseverance and purpose. Despite cognitive challenges caused by seizures and medication, she developed strategies to overcome them and finished her first year at BGSU with a perfect GPA. Her involvement in the Women in Business Leadership student organization has opened doors to mentorship, networking and community service, including her role on the marketing committee for the Young Women in Leadership Conference.

“Over time, I learned how to deal with epilepsy, and I believe no one should have to deal with it alone,” she said. “Going forward, I’m certain that—informed by my own difficult experiences—I will find ways to contribute to epilepsy awareness. As I plan to go into the digital marketing field, I would love to one day have the opportunity to work with epilepsy organizations or campaigns to spread awareness and promote wider access to epilepsy resources.”

“This scholarship means so much to me,” George added. “It will allow me to use the time that I otherwise would have spent working a job to instead focus on studying and working toward achieving my goals.”

The Schmidthorst College of Business congratulates George on this well-deserved recognition. Her story is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when courage meets opportunity.