For more than 15 years, the APRO Charitable Foundation has annually provided scholarships to rent-to-own professionals and their families. APRO members have contributed generously to the APRO Scholarship Fund – awarding 570 scholarships totaling $1,276,250 to date – empowering students connected with RTO to pursue college degrees, technical credentials, and successful futures.
Ava Milliner of Louisville, Kentucky – one of the 47 deserving 2025 APRO Scholarship recipients – once thought she wanted to be a biologist, but connecting with others in different science fields helped guide her into the vastly unknown universe of neurology.
“While still in high school, I got involved in various organizations, took some college-prep courses, and participated in some medical conferences,” Ava recalls. “Once I truly began to gain exposure to real-world patient experiences, began to build an applicable skillset, and grow my knowledge of healthcare, I realized I’m capable of and enthusiastic about medicine as a career path.”
Ava is now a college sophomore pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience at the University of Kentucky (UK), with the intention of going to the UK College of Medicine to earn her M.D., possibly specializing as a neuropathologist.
“My freshman year, I struggled to connect with people at first,” remembers Ava. “Making the effort to get to know people with the same professional dreams and goals has helped tremendously. I’m involved in UK’s Neurology Student Association, Women in Neuroscience, and a pre-med advisory program called MediCats (the UK mascot is the Wildcat).”
Ava attests that connecting with other students in her area of interest has helped not only shape her healthcare path and educate her about how the medical field is evolving, but also gain skills and attributes that will make her a more competitive medical-school applicant.
“My mentors here have taught me many methods of pursuing medicine,” she affirms. “They’ve instructed me on how to reach research sponsors, how to post publications, how to get shadowing hours, and the best ways to keep up with the work in especially difficult courses.”
“I’ve got three key things I do to safeguard against burnout and stay motivated,” asserts Ava. “I begin every day with something I enjoy – for me, it’s reading a book while I sip my morning cup of coffee. Second, I keep my physical space tidy; if you have a clean home, then you can have a clear head. And three, I always have a written list of long-term goals, weekly goals, and daily assignments I reference throughout the day. These three things protect me from falling into poor habits that don’t serve me now, and won’t serve me later.”
In addition to her full-time class load, Ava works two part-time jobs: she is a laboratory technician at a local VisionWorks, and also a peer mentor for a UK 101 class, which prepares new students for the transition into college by providing them with resources and support.
Ava might have gotten some of her strengths in connecting with people and working hard from her dad, Mike Senior, President & CEO of National Championship Enterprises LLC dba Champion Sales and Lease. Senior has been with Champion for 12 years, nine of them in his current leadership position. When he wed Ava’s mom, Lauren, Senior took on a full family, complete with five kids (!), so solid connection and a robust work ethic were crucial.
Ava’s is one of the dozens of positive stories that generous donations from the RTO community make happen each year. Click here to learn more and contribute to this invaluable industry effort.
