On Monday, the American Heart Association awarded five scholarships to help female students in Kentucky pursue careers in STEM.
The Carol Barr Research and Scholarship Fund was created in 2021 after Carol Barr's sudden passing in 2020 due to complications from mitral valve prolapse (MVP).
She believed in women in STEM careers, worked in the pharmaceutical industry, and regularly volunteered with the American Heart Association.
Recognizing that women are vastly underrepresented in STEM fields across the country, the STEM Goes Red scholarship was created in her honor in partnership with Eastern Kentucky University, The American Heart Association, and her husband, Congressman Andy Barr.
During its third year, $10,000 scholarships were awarded to girls in parts of Central and Eastern Kentucky. Congressman Barr put together an advisory team of Carol's friends and family members who helped select the scholars.
Award winners: Maiya Bhandari of Model Laboratory School in Richmond; Sydni Thornsbury of Pike County Central High School in Pikeville; Savannah Hoffman of Barbourville Independent High School in Knox County; Blake Atwell of Pulaski County High School in Somerset; and Charis Davidson of North Laurel High School in East Bernstadt.
"We are so proud of you and we know Carol is proud of you too," said Barr during the awards ceremony.
Barr said Carol knew about her condition and was diagnosed as a young woman in seventh grade with MVP, which is typically a very beginning condition.
According to The American Heart Association, MVP occurs in around 2% of the population and rarely becomes a major problem.
Each year, more than 25,000 Americans die from MVP and other valvular heart diseases.
