Debra S. Jackson New Horizons Scholarship

I opened my eyes to a terrifying hallucination: shadowy figures swaying like dancers in dim light, wild hair whipping around sharp, gaunt faces twisted in silent menace. They moved slowly toward me as my bed began to rise unnaturally, lifting me toward the ceiling. Panic flooded me as these figures crossed the threshold and filled my room, closing in from all sides. This surreal vision greeted me as I came off life support after my third suicide attempt. At the time, it felt horrifyingly real. Now, I understand it as the fractured reality of a mind in crisis. For years, I had self-medicated with alcohol, believing it shielded me from pain. In reality, it deepened my despair and isolated me, from others and from myself. Trauma, shame, and untreated depression festered beneath the surface until I could no longer bear to exist in my own life. After my third overdose, I made a life-altering decision: I left behind relationships, routines, even my city. In a final act of love and desperation, my family relocated me to a remote lake house, far from the noise of my old life. There, I began to detox in solitude, surrounded by stillness and silence. What began as physical survival slowly became emotional and spiritual transformation. Sobriety became my foundation; not just freedom from alcohol, but from self-destruction, secrecy, and shame. I immersed myself in recovery, confronting my trauma and facing the raw truth of my addiction. Intensive therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy taught me how to regulate emotions, recognize triggers, communicate boundaries, and navigate distress without imploding. Through mindfulness, I learned to observe my thoughts with compassion instead of judgment. As I healed, my personal values evolved. I stopped chasing perfection and started pursuing authenticity. I learned resilience isn’t about being unbreakable, but about rising again and again. I let go of old survival mechanisms and embraced connection, vulnerability, and radical honesty. These values guide me today. The more I reclaimed my life, the more I felt called to help others do the same. My lived experience ignited a powerful sense of purpose, shaping my career goals. I chose to pursue a Master’s in Social Work to support individuals facing despair—those battling addiction, trauma, and suicidal thoughts. I want to be someone who listens without judgment, offers practical tools, and holds hope when others cannot see it. I am drawn to crisis intervention, addiction recovery, and trauma-informed care. I’ve mentored others in recovery, led peer support groups, and advocated for mental health. I’ve trained in suicide prevention, harm reduction, and trauma-informed approaches. My goal is to help dismantle stigma and expand access to compassionate care. Long-term, I aim to support survivors of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST), who endure complex trauma, addiction, and disconnection. While my story differs, I carry a deep understanding of feeling trapped in cycles of pain and self-destruction. This shared experience enables me to connect with survivors from empathy rather than clinical distance. I hope to contribute to survivor-centered programs and advocate for systemic change addressing trafficking’s root causes. Alongside my academic goals, I’m committed to community service. Recovery taught me healing is communal. I’ve spoken publicly about my suicide attempts and addiction to reduce stigma and help others feel less alone. I volunteer with harm reduction initiatives and outreach to people experiencing homelessness and substance use. Today, I celebrate over a decade of sobriety. I no longer carry my past as a burden; I hold it as proof of my strength and humanity. Surviving suicide didn’t just change my life; it gave me a reason to live fully.

At 47 years old, I have returned to school not as a detour, but as a deliberate, ambitious step toward expanding my impact. Pursuing a Ph.D. in Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship at the University of the District of Columbia reflects my lifelong belief that learning is a sacred act of transformation, not limited by age or circumstance. I am a Black woman with roots in Trinidad and Tobago. I have been shaped by the resilience and resourcefulness of my parents. My late mother, a neonatal intensive care nurse and educator, earned her graduate degree while raising our family. When she passed away during my graduate studies at Georgetown, her youngest sister stepped in from Trinidad to support me emotionally, spiritually, and consistently. My father, now living with dementia, ran his own business for over 40 years with limited formal education. He supported our family of five with pride and always encouraged me to pursue the highest levels of education. It was his dream that I would one day earn a doctorate. Today, I am living that dream for both of us. My journey has been far from easy. I work full-time while managing serious health challenges, including stroke and heart-related treatments. I am also the primary caregiver for my father. Still, I remain deeply committed to advancing economic opportunities for others. I am especially committed to those who may have been overlooked by traditional educational systems. My ambition is bold, I want to build entrepreneurial ecosystems that unlock the potential of women across the Caribbean and other underserved regions. In places like rural Trinidad, I am developing plans for innovation hubs that provide internet connectivity, access to capital, entrepreneurial support. These hubs will be designed for women who are ready to lead but lack the infrastructure, training, and investment to grow. I believe these ecosystems will not only generate new businesses but ignite generational cycles of empowerment and wealth. The Ph.D. program I’ve chosen aligns directly with this vision. Urban Leadership and Entrepreneurship will equip me with the research tools and strategic frameworks to influence public policy, mobilize investment, and design innovation programs. It will also allow me to ground my real-world experience in rigorous scholarship, giving me the credibility and capability to drive systemic change. Through it all, my faith sustains me. It gives me clarity in hardship, direction in uncertainty, and the humility to lead from a place of service. I believe that ambition is not about ego, but about responsibility. I have a responsibility to use my gifts for the good of others. This scholarship will ease the financial strain of returning to school later in life while working full-time and caregiving. But more than that, it will recognize the drive and discipline of adult learners like me. We bring decades of lived experience, resilience, and purpose to the classroom. I am not just earning a degree, I am preparing to scale a vision that has the power to reshape communities. I’ve spent my life helping others unlock opportunity and now, with your support, I will do so at a greater scale and with a renewed sense of purpose.

When my infant daughter's feeding tube came out during the family party, it meant an immediate trip to the hospital where it would need to be surgically placed again. I watched my other four children immediately fall into their roles. One went into action to gather my suitcase, another ran to her room to make a picture to decorate the hospital room, my son piled onto the couch to cry, and the last sat there trying to hold back her emotions. I squeezed them tight, all of us knowing I would be gone at least 3-4 nights caring for Sarah in the hospital. Amongst all the social workers, nurses, and doctors, no one had spoken to us as a family about how we were functioning, coping, and managing our lives with the diagnosis of Sarah's genetic condition. It was that moment I knew I needed to finish my degree to help other families navigate these situations. I decided to return to school to finish my bachelors degree at Arizona State University and am now pursuing my masters in Marriage and Family Therapy, with a specialization in Medical Family Therapy at Loma Linda University. The challenges I face as a student, wife, mother, preschool teacher, dance instructor, basketball and volleyball coach are unique due to my age and number of responsibilities I have. I am one of two in my cohort over the age of 40. My perspective due to my age and experiences allows me to approach the material and apply it from a different viewpoint than my classmates. My children have been witnesses, study helpers, and dinner makers due to my return to school. It has become a family effort and the life lessons and skills they are learning and observing, first hand, are invaluable. Time management, discipline, and sacrifice are among them. My support system is greater and I have the wisdom to ask for help that I never did in my earlier years. I am often humbled by the helping hands and investment those around me have made into cheering me on and ensuring I reach my end goal. I hope to give back what I have learned and received by working with families and children who have received a chronic, lifelong, or terminal illness. The challenges these families face are many, but the strength and hope of the family system can help alleviate many stressors and improve the quality of life for each family member. What my family was missing was someone to help tie and bring us together. We discovered leaning into one another, when we felt the medical condition was driving us further apart, was what we needed. We also learned everyone had a voice and feelings that deserved to be heard. Having support and tools to cope during times of fight or flight can strengthen an individual's and family's resiliency to be prepared for the next time. This scholarship would help in funding my education so I can graduate and enter the workforce into the field of mental health where the wait lists are ongoing. There is an immediate need and I am eager to serve. As I prepare to graduate in 2025, my oldest daughter will be preparing to launch into her college journey, Fall of 2026. Taking the financial pressure off of the student loans I need to repay can help me save to launch my daughter to be a change and way-maker too.

My life journey has been filled with positive experiences and challenges. I was a very productive, goal driven individual until I was injured and became disabled. After my injury I was not as active as I had been before. I gave up on my goals and dreams of being a successful advocate for others in need. I had to do a medical withdrawal from school as I was struggling mentally and physically after the injury. I was pursuing my MSW degree. and has dreams of becoming a social worker with the department of human services area. Having been disabled since 2012 these experiences have had me face prejudice and discrimination. Highlighting the importance of equality, inclusion, and acceptance for all individuals has shaped my personal values at this stage in my life. Learning to navigate the world as a disabled person has fostered values of independence, self-reliance, and the importance of adapting to challenges in creative ways while I’m back in school. Being a disabled person pursuing a career as a clinical social worker will provide unique insights and perspectives that will enhance my ability to connect with and support clients. My personal experiences navigating the world with a disability has fostered empathy, understanding, and compassion towards individuals facing similar challenges. This will help me build rapport with clients, establish trust, and create a safe and supportive environment for them to share their struggles and work towards their goals. Life experiences, particularly those as a disabled person, has significantly shaped and strengthened my commitment to community service. As a disabled individual, I have faced various challenges and obstacles that have instilled in me a deep sense of empathy, compassion, and a desire to make a positive difference in the lives of others. As a disabled person, I have experienced firsthand the lack of accessibility and accommodations in various community settings. This has fueled my passion for advocating for equal rights and opportunities for individuals with disabilities, as well as for promoting diversity and inclusivity in all aspects of community life. My resilience in the face of adversity, and my ability to overcome challenges served as a source of inspiration for others in my community. By sharing my story and showing how I have thrived despite obstacles, I have empowered and uplifted those around me. I encourage them to persevere and pursue their own goals. As a social worker my education will be a powerful tool for making a positive impact in my community. I can use my education to enhance my work and create meaningful change. I will advocate for education and awareness around social issues in my community. I will offer educational resources, and support individuals and families in need. I can do this by providing workshops on parenting skills, financial literacy, job readiness, or mental health coping strategies. Receiving a scholarship from Debra S. Jackson would be a significant opportunity that could help me in achieving my goal of going back to school in my early 40s. This scholarship will provide financial support that will alleviate the burden of tuition costs, textbooks, and other expenses associated with pursuing further education at this stage in my life. The financial help from the scholarship will enable me to focus on my studies and academic pursuits without having to worry about the financial strain that often comes with pursuing higher education later in life. Knowing that someone believes in my potential, and is willing to invest in my education will inspire me to work even harder towards achieving my academic and career goals.