Despite living in the most prosperous period of history, millions of people are struggling.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, and it’s the second leading cause of death for college-age youth. Suicide often stems from past mental trauma and depression caused by bullying, mistreatment, and other challenging events.
Nearly 50 years ago, my mom, Ethel Hayes took her own life. A kind and courageous woman, she struggled to cope with the difficult realities of her inner and outer world.
In the aftermath of her passing, I struggled to cope with the loss. Outside of the tragedy of losing my mom, I faced the reality that mental health was not well understood or openly discussed in the Black community. So I suppressed my feelings, an approach that caused many challenges for me later in life.
To help the millions of people and their loved ones who are suffering, we need to start by bringing the darkness to light. In doing so, it will slowly fade.
In honor of my wonderful mother, the Ethel Hayes Destigmatization of Mental Health Scholarship exists to support more open and honest dialogue about the millions of people who are struggling with mental health and those people who have loved ones who are struggling with mental health.
The scholarship is open to all students who have had challenges with mental health or who have had loved ones who have struggled with mental health.
To apply for the scholarship, you will be asked to write a short essay about how your journey with mental health has impacted your beliefs, relationships, and aspirations.
How has your experience with mental health shaped your goals, relationships, and understanding of the world.
The application deadline is Jun 14, 2022. Winners will be announced on Jul 13, 2022.
Your privacy is a top priority on the Bold.org platform, and you can find our privacy policy in full here. You may opt out of communications from Bold.org at any time, and unless we’ve first notified you and gotten your consent, you’ll never receive communication from any third parties related to personal information you give us.
Award amounts per winner are designated by the donor. Check the award amount for a detailed breakdown.
The winner will be publicly announced on Jul 13, 2022. Prior to the announcement date, we may contact finalists with additional questions about their application. We will work with donors to review all applications according to the scholarship criteria. Winners will be chosen based on the merit of their application.
Award checks will be sent to the financial aid office of the winner's academic institution or future academic institution in their name to be applied to their tuition, and in the name of their institution (depending on the school's requirements). If the award is for a qualified educational non-tuition expense, we will work with the winner directly to distribute the award and make sure it goes towards qualified expenses.
Before we award the scholarship, the winner will be required to confirm their academic enrollment status. Depending on the circumstances, verification of Student ID and/or their most recent transcript will be required.
If you have any questions about this scholarship or the Bold.org platform, just email contact@bold.org and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.
Yes. The terms and conditions for this scholarship can be found here.