Growing up in a low-income, single-parent household instilled in me resilience, determination, and the value of perseverance from a young age. Financial hardships often presented obstacles, but they also fueled my motivation to pursue education as a means to create a better future for myself and to support others facing similar challenges. However, I also struggle with co-occurring disorders, which have led me to make decisions in my life that negatively impacted my future plans in the past. Despite these challenges, I refuse to let them define my future. Instead, I’ve channeled those situations as fuel to propel me even further. This journey has truly opened my eyes to the myriad challenges and adversities that individuals encounter. This newfound awareness has ignited a passion within me to work in the mental health industry. If I can use my experiences to help someone else, that makes all the sacrifices worthwhile. At 32 years old, I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Work. My perspective as a student is unique compared to many traditional peers. While most students leave high school and embark on their higher education journey, I faced limitations due to my mental health at the time and doubted my intelligence enough to earn a degree. Despite these challenges, I pursued my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and maintained a spot on the President’s list throughout my academic career. This experience taught me that regardless of the obstacles you face, you can achieve anything you set your mind to. My life experiences have deepened my understanding of adversity, the significance of support systems, and the profound impact that compassionate professionals can have on individuals’ lives. These experiences have solidified my commitment to serving those who are navigating difficult circumstances. They have fueled my desire to pursue my degree in Social Work with the intention of helping others. What distinguishes me from other applicants is not just the challenges I’ve encountered, but how I’ve leveraged those challenges to define my purpose. Instead of letting my circumstances restrict my opportunities, I’ve persistently pursued higher education while remaining dedicated to a career focused on assisting others in overcoming obstacles and achieving their goals. My personal experiences have instilled in me empathy, cultural awareness, and an authentic passion for advocacy that cannot be acquired through textbooks alone. The Champions of a New Path Scholarship would enable me to continue my graduate education and further equip me to make a meaningful impact on the lives of vulnerable populations. I am committed to utilizing my education to empower others, promote positive change, and serve as an inspiration that one’s starting point does not dictate their ultimate destination. I firmly believe that my perseverance, unwavering dedication to social work, and genuine desire to create opportunities for others make me a strong candidate for this scholarship.

My name is Amber, and I identify as bisexual. I actively participate in Pride events by volunteering at booths and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights within the community. I’ve always felt different, even from a young age. I was taught to be ashamed of my sexuality, believing it was a sin. I often wondered why God would create me this way and be angry with me for it. These feelings have persisted for years, causing me to struggle with balancing my faith and sexuality. Despite these challenges, I am proud to be bisexual and a part of this incredible community today, regardless of the “sin” associated with my identity. I firmly believe that my God created me exactly as He intended, and if someone has a problem with that, it’s their issue, not mine. Currently, I’m pursuing my Master’s Degree in Social Work. My goal is to use my degree to advocate for vulnerable and oppressed populations. I’m committed to giving back to the community and plan to conduct research that could contribute to policy and law reform in various areas that I believe are flawed in the United States. We need more social workers who are actively involved in advocacy and policy/law changes within our country. We are dealing with difficult, unknown times in which more and more rights are being taken away. I hope that I will be able to successfully contribute towards these efforts after graduation. I’ve been developing my own research studies to conduct on my own time, looking specifically at issues with mental health, substance abuse, and criminal justice. I’ve been giving back to the community already through my various advocacy and change efforts, as well as working directly in the mental health/substance use field. A large number of individuals who identify as “other” struggle with mental health and substance use disorders. The work I do, I hope helps our community. My financial situation is challenging. I’m currently pursuing my graduate degree while working full-time, and I’m receiving only partial financial aid from the government. My Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology has already exhausted my funding, making it difficult to continue my studies. I’m applying for scholarships in hopes of securing alternative funding to graduate with my Master’s Degree in 2028. Despite these obstacles, I remain a dedicated student who works hard to achieve my goals. I also want to express my gratitude for this opportunity. Regardless of the outcome, I appreciate that someone will be given this chance to further their education.

My journey with substance abuse has been long and tumultuous. At the tender age of 11, I found myself entangled in the world of illicit substances alongside my father, who also battled substance use disorder. I recall using pills, alcohol, and marijuana, convinced that this was the solution to my emotional turmoil. I believed I could escape the complexities of feeling, thinking, and caring about the differences that set me apart from others. In that moment, I felt like I was in paradise. Throughout my teenage and adult years, I relentlessly pursued the elusive high that I could never truly attain. This relentless pursuit led me to drop out of high school, as drugs became the paramount concern in my life. My descent continued as I succumbed to heroin, fentanyl, crack, and cocaine, taking me to places that my mother could never have imagined. At the age of 21, I was unfortunately involved in sex trafficking. During a visit from my mother, she confronted me with the grim reality of my situation, urging me to sign my cremation paperwork, convinced that I was on the brink of death. Tears streamed down her face as I sat there, grappling with a profound sense of regret and a deep-seated wish to care. However, the grip of addiction had taken hold, leaving me unable to care about anything beyond my next fix. Over the years, I have endured countless overdoses, willingly choosing drugs over the love and support of those I hold dear. I have faced imprisonment and, despite these setbacks, I have finally found the path to recovery. While I have relapsed in the past, I have consistently returned to Narcotics Anonymous and recommitted myself to the program. As of June 21st, I will have completed two years of recovery. I am incredibly blessed and grateful for the life I have built for myself today. My motivation to stay sober stems from the vivid images I conjure of a life free from addiction, a life where I can live each day without the constant struggle. Currently, I am pursuing a Master’s Degree in Social Work, with the ultimate goal of contributing to advocacy and policy changes that will de-stigmatize substance use and mental health challenges. I dream of conducting research that will pave the way for these transformative changes. I firmly believe that we are operating within a flawed system that needs urgent attention. This system must be reformed to prevent unnecessary deaths and incarcerations, as individuals are often punished for the symptoms of their disorders. I am committed to working within this system to bring about the necessary changes and create a world where people can live free from the shackles of addiction and mental health challenges. I want to take a moment to express my deepest condolences for your loss. As a parent, I can only imagine the immense pain and suffering you must be enduring on a daily basis. I also want to extend my sincere gratitude for this incredible opportunity. Regardless of whether I am fortunate enough to receive the scholarship, your contribution to someone’s future is truly commendable, and I am immensely grateful for that. I genuinely hope that whoever is fortunate enough to receive this opportunity will seize it and work diligently towards making lasting positive changes for the betterment of our community. Thank you, Amber Nichols

I plan to give back to my community the same way I do every single day since I have gotten sober. I was a fentanyl addict, a Xanax addict, a hand me anything and I will do it addict. A I am going to die every time I use now addict. But my higher power saw it, fit to keep me alive for a higher purpose in life. 13 rehab completions later I didn’t know if I would stay sober, I didn’t know if this would be the time that I got my stuff together. I didn’t know if this would be the time that I died. I didn’t know if I would let my mother down yet again, like so many other times before. However, this time is different. I did everything different. I did everything the opposite of what I usually do. I decided to go to school for counseling in addictions. Then I decided I wanted to help people right away. I didn’t want to wait and the only way I knew how to do that wants to become a Recovery coach. So I went to work every single day helping other addicts just like myself who are struggling to put one day together, put that day together, and stay sober one day at a time. I don’t always succeed. I fail sometimes. I don’t always have the right thing to say or sometimes they don’t listen. But I try my best. And that’s what matters. I wake up every morning and I go to this thing called work. I don’t even like to think it’s called work. Because it’s not to me, it’s my life. It’s in my blood. It’s what my higher power placed me in this world to do. I graduate with my bachelors degree in April. Then I am pursuing my masters degree. I am asking for this scholarship to help pursue my masters degree. With my masters degree I will be able to become a therapist. I will be able to reach even more addicts on a deeper level because I will have not only the education it takes but the experience that they have went through it takes to identify with them as well. I just want to give back to them what was so freely given to me, the gift of sobriety. The freedom of active addiction. Pure freedom. That’s what I want to dedicate my life doing.