Evan T. Wissing Memorial Scholarship

One of the greatest struggles I have worked to rise above is rebuilding my life after leaving a domestic relationship while raising a young child. Choosing to leave was not simple or safe, but I knew staying would put both my son and me at risk. I refused to become another statistic, and I wanted my child to grow up seeing strength, safety, and stability—not fear. Walking away was the first step, but rebuilding everything from the ground up has been the true test of resilience. As a single mother and the sole financial provider, every day requires careful balance. I work full time in the nonprofit sector supporting homeless youth, helping them secure housing and stability. The work is meaningful, but it is also demanding, and I carry the weight of knowing that my income alone keeps our household afloat. At the same time, I am raising a now seven‑year‑old boy who is active in sports and deserves the chance to explore his interests and feel supported in every part of his life. Between practices, school events, and the daily responsibilities of parenting, our schedule is tight, and our resources are often stretched thin. Despite these challenges, I made the decision to return to college after eight years away. I am currently pursuing my AAS degree in Criminal Justice because education feels like the clearest path toward a safer, more stable future for my child and me. I want to show my son that women can be strong, dependable, and capable of achieving their goals with dignity and perseverance. I want him to see that even when life becomes overwhelming, we do not give up, we adapt, we work harder, and we rise. Going back to school has not been easy. Paying out of pocket this semester has been especially difficult, and there have been moments when I questioned whether I could continue. But stopping now would mean stepping away from the dream I have fought so hard to reclaim. I am determined to become the first generation in my family to earn a college degree, not only for my own growth but to set an example for my son. I want him to witness firsthand what it looks like to pursue a goal even when the odds feel stacked against you. There are days when I feel like I am running on empty balancing full‑time work, part‑time school, and full‑time motherhood but I remind myself why I started. I remind myself of the life I left behind, the safety I fought to create, and the future I am building. Education is not just a personal ambition; it is my way out, my way forward, and my way of ensuring that my child grows up with a role model who never stopped striving for better. I am still rising above the challenges that come with being a single parent, a student, and a survivor, but every step I take brings me closer to the life I envision for us. This journey has taught me resilience, discipline, and hope, and I am committed to seeing it through.

I am a recovering addict. October 15, 2023. My life changed forever when I walked into my program Harvest Farm in Wellington Colorado. I learned how to cope, heal and live without the struggles of addiction and mental health related issues. After 10 months living on the farm, taking care of the cows and attending treatment, I graduated that program on July 31, 2024. Since I have started working in recovery as a behavioral health technician. I am helping guys get their lives back, the same way that I did. My job is the most rewarding job that I've ever had and I get to watch people change their lives for the better while helping them get clean from drugs and alcohol. I am also a full-time student at Grand Canyon University online, studying to get my bachelors of science and behavioral health science with an emphasis on substance use disorder. I do these both simultaneously to being a father of three beautiful daughters, Lilly age 18, Mckenzie age 6, and Scarlett age 4. Getting clean was the hardest thing I've ever had to do because I had to rebuild my entire life. There were many obstacles in the way including having bipolar disorder. I struggled for years with mental health and addiction, I had fallen into a pit of despair and did not know how to manage my own life. After overdoses, hospital stays, disappointing my family and losing touch with God , I knew that I needed to work. The hardest I ever had to become the man I was supposed to be. I'm happy to say that today. I am over 18 months clean from fentanyl. Since I started my job as a behavioral health technician, I have helped roughly 400 men get clean from this horrible disease. I attend meetings 3 to 4 times a week, i'm an active member of narcotics anonymous, I volunteer at the farm that I graduated from and I attend church regularly to further my faith. There's no way I could've done this alone, but it started with me admitting that I had a problem and asking for help. This journey has been the most humbling rewarding and beautiful experience I have ever had and the work is just starting as I want to graduate and then start my own recovery center in an area that does not have as many resources. I'm also looking to start nonprofit organizations to help break the stigma of men and teens Mental Health being an issue to bring up amongst friends, family, and peers. The scholarship would help me tremendously in getting my degree and being able to put the money that I will save towards starting those organizations. I'm here to tell everyone that as addicts we do recover. It just takes hard work and dedication.

I am a person in recovery, recovery from trauma, mental health, substance use, homelessness and incarceration. I spent 15 years of my life in darkness, a darkness I couldn't find a way out of. It was a miserable existence, so much so that I attempted to take my life on several occasions to end the pain. I spent most of my twenties between being alone and in psychiatric hospitals. After a double attempt to end it all in 2015, I found a way out. A doctor who had taken care of me numerous times in a hospital told me that no one had come to see me or even called. It made me feel so alone, but he assured me there was another way. At that moment I realized I had to change, and we made a plan, it wasn't the plan I wanted, but I had to try. I enrolled myself into therapy, intensive outpatient therapy, went to AA meetings and moved into sober living. This was the start of my journey in recovery, and the best decision I have ever made. Since I have been in recovery I have devoted my life to helping others find their path to recovery and freedom from the past. I have worked in sober living, treatment centers, jails and the courts as a peer mentor. Working with people in recovery is my passion, I find joy in helping people help themselves. During this time I have become a Certified Peer and Family Specialist with the state of Colorado and have taken over 100 training in different areas of mental health, substance use and criminal justice. Unfortunately, this is not enough to follow my dreams. My dream is to help all of our county courts and government to implement peer programs in our jails, prisons and courts. To make this dream come true, I decided to go back to college and learn all that I can about the criminal justice system and how it works. I believe the best way to help an organization is to learn how it works first and then figure out how to add things to make it better. I am currently attending Southern New Hampshire University getting my Bachelor's in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Substance Use. This degree will help me with the knowledge and confidence to start my dream. Please help me to make this dream come true. Thank you.