AMPLIFY Mental Health Scholarship

Nearly 800,000 people die by suicide in the world each year, which is roughly one death every 40 seconds. By the time you read this description, at least one person will have taken their lives.

But suicide is often the conclusion of a long story of mental illness, and there are still hundreds of millions of people around the world suffering.

A personal story that I rarely tell is that of my sister’s mental health struggle. She was diagnosed with anorexia in junior high school and has wrestled with other mental illnesses for nearly two decades since. 

The reality is that my sister isn’t the outlier. She is one of billions around the world that will face mental illness at some point in their lives. It is one of the only unifiers that traverses borders, race, gender, or religion. It is truly ubiquitous. 

Mental illness is part of someone’s story, but it does not need to define them. Abraham Lincoln fought clinical depression throughout his life. Dr. John Nash, the Nobel Price winner for his work on game theory, suffered from schizophrenia. Lady Gaga had spoken out about her battle with PTSD.

After a worldwide pandemic, we’re more isolated than ever and mental health illnesses are soaring. As we work to normalize the dialogue around mental health, this scholarship aims to support any student pursuing any field of study that has battled or had a loved one battle mental illness. 

To apply, please share a 300-word essay describing your personal/loved one’s journey and how you want to use these experiences to positively impact the lives of others battling mental illness.

I feel that now, especially during this pandemic and isolation, many people are becoming overwhelmed, stressed out, and afraid. More and more people now more than ever, need help to overcome these mental obstacles so that they are not holding themselves back from the happy and successful life they deserve.

To apply for this scholarship, you will be required to write about your experience with mental illness and how this has impacted your life.

This scholarship is part of a 12-part Amplify Scholarship Series, spanning topics including women in tech, continuous learning, environmental science, and more. These scholarships are announced quarterly and awarded monthly throughout 2021. Follow along here!