John Youtsey - Still Impacting Future Educators Through Memorial Scholarship

Each year, the  John Youtsey Memorial Scholarship program helps Georgia residents who are affected by bleeding disorders. It is granted based on scholastic achievement, financial need, and personal goals. If he was still alive, John Youtsey, a former professor and associate dean at Georgia State University, would be very proud to know that the memorial scholarship that bears his name and is given out each year by Hemophilia of Georgia (HoG) is helping to foster the next generation of teachers!

Meet Billy John Toussaint, a proud 2024 John Youtsey Memorial Scholarship recipient, and future math educator. Billy is currently working on his PhD at Liberty University and plans to become a math teacher when he graduates because he has a strong desire to positively impact kids who struggle with learning math. Billy stated, “This scholarship means the world to me because it will help me achieve my academic goals and pave the way for my future career.”

Billy is grateful to HoG for the opportunity to pursue his career and he is also grateful to be alive or have a future at all. Billy never knew he had hemophilia until he was 21, after he went to the dentist to have some work done and he ended up hospitalized and in a coma from the internal bleeding resulting from the procedure. “It was pretty bad, and I was really messed up for a while after that,” he said.

After he came out of the coma, he was told he would need to see a hematologist and was referred to Hemophilia of Georgia for help. “HoG has been so helpful in many ways. In addition to the scholarship, they have provided me with an outreach nurse who checks up on me and I have also attended family camp, which was great! I am grateful for everything they have done for me.”

When asked what advice he would give to others he stated, “Believe in yourself, set up specific and achievable goals, stay focused and organized, and most importantly don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it!”

Historical note:  Dr. John Youtsey provided dedicated leadership to Hemophilia of Georgia from its inception in 1973 until his death in 1996. He was a member of HoG’s Board of Directors and chaired the Scholarship Committee.