Taejhiana Diandra Walker Memorial Scholarship

The day I found out that I lost my cousin to suicide will always be a day that I will never forget. I was just a sophomore in high school but I learned something that I wasn’t ready to learn. Life really is short and the people that we love aren’t’ guaranteed to be with us forever. The shock, and the heartbreak of that loss disrupted everything. It interrupted my focus in school and my confidence that things would simply work out. I felt left with more questions than answers about life and I had a hard time finding my footing again. Grief, as painful as it was, also became the place where my resilience was born. I decided pretty early on that I didn't want this loss to just break me. I wanted it to build me into someone more resilient, someone with a real appreciation for mental health. My cousin's memory has become a driving force in my life. I chase my dreams for myself now, but also for him. I like to believe he's still watching over me somehow, with that same contagious smile, cheering me on from where he is. That's part of why I partnered with Euphoric.777, a non-profit clothing brand built around mental health advocacy. I loved their message, "Are You Really Happy," which is aimed at people hiding real struggles behind their smile. I think it's the same struggle my cousin was going through, we just didn’t know until it was too late. I like helping to promote that message which has become my way of turning grief into something useful. I received messages from people thanking me, telling me it made them feel less alone, and that response has meant more to me than I expected it to. Fashion ended up being the other big piece of this. Even before any of this happened, I was always the person my family and friends came to for advice on what to wear or how to put themselves together with confidence. Fashion, to me, was always about self-expression, and honesty. Self expression is a confidence booster. I noticed that when I volunteered with Dress for Success. I enjoyed helping women pick outfits, get dressed and prepare for job interviews. Watching someone gain confidence and stand up straighter once they had the right outfit on, was a small moment, but it stuck with me. It taught me to pay closer attention to detail, and it reminded me that confidence is something you can help give someone. Grief taught me to value every relationship and lean on my support system when things get hard. Fashion gave me a way to actually act on that, to help other people feel more like themselves. Both of those things shaped why I'm studying business with a minor in fashion at USC. I want to build the skills to lead in the fashion industry in a way that actually gives back, not just to the industry, but to my community. If I can honor my cousin by helping other people feel a little less alone or a little more confident, that feels like the right way to carry his memory forward.