Ashley Calogero Wins the Berger and Green Heart Disease Scholarship 2025

Ashley Calogero has already lived through challenges most people could hardly imagine. Born with a rare congenital heart defect, she underwent life-saving heart surgery just hours after entering the world.

The odds were stacked against her, but thanks to a gifted surgeon and her own unyielding will to live, Ashley has carried that experience forward as a defining source of strength.

For the team at Berger and Green, her story of perseverance and determination stood out among this year’s many strong submissions.

Each year, we present a $1,000 scholarship to a student living with heart disease who demonstrates resilience, ambition, and a drive to keep moving forward despite obstacles. Ashley is the embodiment of these qualities, and we are proud to recognize her as our 2025 Heart Disease Scholarship winner.

A Life Defined by Resilience

Ashley grew up with the visible scars of her surgery, reminders of the fragility of life. As a young girl, those scars left her with difficult questions about why she was born with such a challenge. But with time and reflection, she came to see them as symbols of her perseverance rather than limitations.

One of the strongest influences in this shift was her Japanese grandmother, who taught her the saying: “nana korobi ya oki” — fall down seven times, get up eight. This philosophy has become Ashley’s compass in life, reminding her that every setback is simply another opportunity to rise stronger.

Turning Setbacks Into Motivation

Following her family’s long tradition of military service, Ashley dreamed of attending the U.S. Air Force Academy and one day serving her country as an officer. Despite her academic excellence and commitment, she was medically disqualified due to her heart surgery as a newborn.

For Ashley, this was a painful blow, but another test of her resilience. Rather than let the rejection stop her, she chose to adapt and refocus her path. As she wrote in her essay: “If I faced such a major challenge in the first hours of my life, I can do anything.”

Academic Ambitions and Future Service

Ashley is now a freshman at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where she is pursuing a degree in Global Security and Intelligence Studies.

Her program is designed to prepare students to identify and prevent national and international threats — a field that aligns perfectly with her determination to serve and protect others.

Beyond the classroom, Ms. Calogero has excelled in extracurriculars, from playing varsity tennis to serving on Student Council, Interact Club, and the National Honor Society, where she also supported her peers through tutoring.

Her ultimate goal is to earn a commission in the U.S. Air Force as an Intelligence Officer and, later, transition to a federal agency to continue her work in national security.

The Heart Disease Scholarship will help ease the financial burden of her education and give her an additional boost toward these ambitions.

Berger and Green Offers Its Congratulations to Ashley

Ashley Calogero’s resilience, commitment to service, and belief in “getting up eight” make her an inspiration to others facing life’s challenges while living with congenital heart issues or heart disease.

For more than 40 years, Berger and Green has represented injured and disabled people in Pennsylvania and beyond. Our firm is dedicated not only to protecting the rights of accident victims and Social Security Disability applicants, but also to giving back to the community we serve.

The annual Heart Disease Scholarship reflects this mission by supporting students whose lives have been impacted by heart disease as they pursue their education and future careers.