If Tianli Ding needed any confirmation that he was on the right path in life, he got in the form of a diagnosis: leukemia.

When Ding was an undergraduate in college, stem cells in his blood betrayed him and turned cancerous. What happened next only made him more determined to study stem cells and use the science behind them to heal.

What’s up next for the recent graduate? He’ll devote his career to fighting Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases.

Ding was able to attend USC thanks to a donor-funded scholarship. Visit our scholarships site to see more stories of scholarship-supported students who are making a difference.