Two of my brothers suffer from mental illness. They both are bipolar and schizophrenic. I grew up in a neighborhood full of poverty and addiction. It took growing up and striving to be successful to know that what I've seen and have been exposed to has caused trauma but also an understanding of these populations. I feel like they go hand in hand with mental health issues. I am a first-generation high school and college graduate. My parents only made it to 10th grade. While I changed my ways and became an example of what I knew I didn't wanna be this cycle eventually hit my little brother Cody. Cody was depressed and felt he had no support. Cody passed away at the age of 23 from an overdose related to fentanyl and sepsis. Losing my brother has been so hard. I don't wish addiction or mental health issues on anyone. My experiences with mental health & substance abuse have shaped the way I live and how hard I work. I've always wanted to be a nurse. Helping people is my passion. I have almost 10 years of experience in home health care and currently work with children who have severe behavioral disorders and autism. I've come to realize that taking care of people is what I was put on this earth to do so I'm working towards fulfilling my dream. I want to teach my daughter that hard work pays off and to always believe in herself. My career goal is to obtain my nursing degree and work with either psychiatric patients, the geriatric population/hospice or those who have addiction issues. I have a passion for all of these and I'm hoping one day I can have a job in nursing doing this. I am confident that I can do anything I put my mind to. Once I graduate with my degree, I plan to volunteer more in shelters, rehabs and nursing homes to share stories and be a voice and place of comfort for others because if I have learned anything it's that the connections we make along the way make a difference in the lives of those we care for. Recently a patient of mine told my clinical instructor that I was going to make an amazing nurse and my clinical instructor responded, "I can teach you everything, but I can't teach compassion. You either have it or you don't". I will never forget this because to have this recognized so early on means everything to me. I care about everyone, and I always will.

I grew up in a neighborhood full of poverty and addiction. It took growing up and striving to be successful to know that what I've seen and have been exposed to has caused trauma but also an understanding of these populations. I feel like they go hand in hand with mental health issues. My experience with substance abuse has motivated me to want a better life. I grew up with a dad who was addicted to drugs and didn't come home on payday. My mother was a nervous wreck taking care of us five kids. I didn't know anything else besides food stamps, vacation bible school and anything basically that you could do for free. There were no family vacations or even family outings for that matter. My father was adopted and never really had a family due to falling out and my mother's family lived down south. This caused a vicious cycle. At 14 I started experimenting with alcohol and prescription drugs. Before this, I was a child who loved to read and go to school. The school was home for me. I was a safety for 3-5th grade and in 5th grade received an award for the highest points in the school for reading. I am a first-generation high school and college graduate. My parents only made it to 10th grade. While I changed my ways and became an example of what I knew I didn't wanna be this cycle eventually hit my little brother Cody. Cody passed away at the age of 23 from an overdose related to fentanyl and sepsis. Losing my brother has been so hard. I don't wish addiction on anyone. My experiences with substance abuse have shaped the way I live and how hard I work. I've always wanted to be a nurse. Helping people is my passion. I have almost 10 years of experience in home health care and currently work with children who have severe behavioral disorders and autism. I've come to realize that taking care of people is what I was put on this earth to do so I'm working towards fulfilling my dream. I want to teach my daughter that hard work pays off and to always believe in herself. My career goal is to obtain my nursing degree and work with either psychiatric patients, the geriatric population/hospice or those who have addiction issues. I have a passion for all of these and I'm hoping one day I can have a job in nursing doing this. I am confident that I can do anything I put my mind to. Once I graduate with my degree, I plan to volunteer more in shelters, rehabs and nursing homes to share stories and be a voice and place of comfort for others because if I have learned anything it's that the connections we make along the way make a difference in the lives of those we care for. Recently a patient of mine told my clinical instructor that I was going to make an amazing nurse and my clinical instructor responded, "I can teach you everything, but I can't teach compassion. You either have it or you don't". I will never forget this because to have this recognized so early on means everything to me. I care about everyone, and I always will.

I've faced many struggles in life but losing my brother Cody was the hardest one I've ever faced. Cody was 23 years old and passed away September 13, 2018. I admired my brother so much. He was so passionate about mental health and helping those who were less fortunate because we grew up without and he wanted to give back to the world. Somewhere along this path of finding himself and being the most genuine person I've ever known he became addicted to heroin. It destroyed him and took everything he worked so hard for. He tried to get clean but the system failed him with their old school mentality of "are you sure you want to get clean because if not we have a bus ticket for you back home?". After a few hours, he asked for that bus ticket. Any addict would. He was afraid and thought he wasn't good enough when all he ever really needed was the love and support that he gave to the world. Cody overdosed and had severe sepsis a month after being released from the treatment he wanted so badly. The hospital released him against medical advice and his body went into shock 2 hours later. Words can't express the pain I feel without my brother. Losing Cody has made me focus on the things I love the most which is also helping people who struggle with poverty, addiction and mental health issues. I currently work in mental health and have for 6 years. I am fighting so hard to obtain a nursing degree and struggling to pay for it. I am a first-generation high school and college graduate. I've always wanted to be a nurse and because of Cody, I am following my dream to continue helping people. He always told everyone I was like his mom. He called me for advice about everything. He bragged about how I was a nurse but I just did home healthcare for 10 years. I want Cody to look down one day and see I've made it. I will continue to fight for this.

I've always wanted to be a nurse. Helping people is my passion. I am a first-generation high school graduate and college student. I have almost 10 years of experience in home health care and currently work with children who have severe behavioral disorders and autism. I've come to realize that taking care of people is what I was put on this earth to do so I'm working towards fulfilling my dream. I want to teach my daughter that hard work pays off and to always believe in herself. My career goal is to obtain my nursing degree and work with either psychiatric patients, the geriatric population/hospice or those who have addiction issues. I have a passion for all of these and I'm hoping one day I can have a job in nursing doing this. I lost my brother in 2018 and watched my family/friends' families suffer from drug/alcohol addiction so I understand it on a different level. I also have two brothers who suffer from mental illness and have been in and out of psychiatric placements. People often refer to me as the glue of the family. It's sometimes a tough pill to swallow because sometimes I need someone too. I am confident that I can do anything I put my mind to. Once I graduate with my degree, I plan to volunteer more in shelters, rehabs and nursing homes to share stories and be a voice and place of comfort for others because if I have learned anything it's that the connections we make along the way make a difference in the lives of those we care for. Recently a patient of mine told my clinical instructor that I was going to make an amazing nurse and my clinical instructor responded, "I can teach you everything, but I can't teach compassion. You either have it or you don't". I will never forget this because to have this recognized so early on means everything to me. I care about everyone, and I always will. I will be able to use this money to stay in school and make sure my daughter has everything she needs while I continue to better myself and provide a better life for us. She deserves everything I never had without having to worry about the small things like I always had to while growing up. I appreciate you considering me for this scholarship. It means more than you know. The last 3 years as a single mother haven't been the easiest and I've accumulated a lot of debt. This scholarship will greatly help me reach my goals without having to pick up extra shifts. Working full time is hard enough. Thank you so much.

I am a first generation high school graduate and college student(my parents only made it to 10th grade). My original plan was to attend nursing school but when I applied in 2010 at MSU I didn't get in so I decided on a different bachelors and then obtained my Masters in Public Health. My daughter is now 13 years old and I am a single mother who struggles. I have almost 10 years experience in home health care and currently work with children who have severe behavioral disorders and are autistic. I've come to realize that taking care of people is my passion and I would like to advance my opportunities and career by going back to school. This scholarship will help me from putting more debt on my credit cards and take a lot of weight off my shoulders. It was never easy after graduating high school and figuring out things with no support but I am still working as hard as I can hoping one day I can share my story and inspire more people than I already have. My career goal is to obtain my nursing degree and work with either psychiatric patients, the geriatric population or those who are addicts. I have a passion for all of these and I'm hoping one day I can have a job in nursing doing this. I lost my brother in 2018 and watched my family and friends families suffer from drug/alcohol addiction so I understand it on a different level. Two of my brothers have been in and out of placements their whole lives and I also work in a psychiatric hospital so I also have a strong passion for this population and the elderly population. Even with everything I've overcame growing up I have always been determined to succeed and find my place in this world. My daughter deserves a mom who can help her make decisions and face challenges. I will make a positive impact on the world by mentoring children who come from disadvantaged homes like I did. I will volunteer more in soup kitchens and take my daughter along with me. I also plan to spend time volunteering in rehab facilities in memory of my brother and family who struggle from drug abuse and mental health issues. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for considering me. It means a lot.

I am a first generation high school graduate and college student(my parents only made it to 10th grade). My mom is mentally ill and on medication and so are two of my brothers. They bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. On top of growing up in poverty this has made it extremely challenging to break this cycle and I have grown up anxious and struggle with my own depression. I probably wouldn't change my upbringing if I could because it has made me who I am today. I am super compassionate and empathetic. I am strong and resilient. I don't want to give up but sometimes things are really hard because of having no support system. I think I am a very humble and understanding person and that because of my experience with these mental health issues that people are drawn to the way I smile and find joy in the simple things. I think its true what they say about knowing sadness to experience happiness. I'm not always happy but I do always smile because I really do want to be happy and in a good space so bad. I yearn for that. My original plan was to attend nursing school but when I applied in 2010 at MSU I didn't get in so I decided on a different bachelors and then obtained my Masters in Public Health. My daughter is now 13 years old and I am a single mother who struggles. I have almost 10 years experience in home health care and currently work with children who have severe behavioral disorders and are autistic. I've come to realize that taking care of people is my passion and I would like to advance my opportunities and career by going back to school. I am currently in Nusing school with a 4.0. This scholarship will help me from putting more debt on my credit cards and take a lot of weight off my shoulders. It was never easy after graduating high school and figuring out things with no support but I am still working as hard as I can hoping one day I can share my story and inspire more people than I already have. My career goal is to obtain my nursing degree and work with either psychiatric patients, the geriatric population or those who are addicts. I have a passion for all of these and I'm hoping one day I can have a job in nursing doing this. I lost my brother in 2018 and watched my family and friends families suffer from mental health, drug/alcohol addiction so I understand it on a different level. Two of my brothers have been in and out of placements their whole lives and I also work in a psychiatric hospital so I also have a strong passion for this population and the elderly population. Thank you so much for considering me for this scholarship. I appreciate it more than you know. Sincerely, Audrey Monroy

I am a first generation high school graduate and college student(my parents only made it to 10th grade). My original plan was to attend nursing school but when I applied in 2010 at MSU I didn't get accepted so I decided on a different bachelors (my daughter was so young at the time and I didn't want to walk away with no degree as obtaining a degree was extremely important to me) and then i received my Masters in Public Health. My daughter is now 13 years old and I am a single mother who struggles. I have almost 10 years experience in home health care and currently work with children who have severe behavioral disorders and are autistic. I've come to realize that taking care of people is my passion and I would like to advance my opportunities and career by going back to school. This scholarship will help me from putting more debt on my credit cards and take a lot of weight off my shoulders. It was never easy after graduating high school and figuring out things with no support but I am still working as hard as I can hoping one day I can share my story and inspire more people than I already have. My career goal is to obtain my nursing degree and work with either psychiatric patients, the geriatric population or those who are addicts. I have a passion for all of these and I'm hoping one day I can have a job in nursing doing this. I lost my brother in 2018 and watched my family and friends families suffer from drug/alcohol addiction so I understand it on a different level. Two of my brothers have been in and out of placements their whole lives and I also work in a psychiatric hospital so I also have a strong passion for this population and the elderly population. I have always loved to help people. I am a super empathetic person which sometimes makes it hard on me but I also think this is why I connect with people the way that I do. I want to help people smile, help people become healthier and help people find resources that they need. I plan to mentor children who need a positive role model and to volunteer in more soup kitchens and at rehab facilities once I obtain my license. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for considering me. Sincerely, Audrey Monroy

Hi my name is Audrey Monroy. I am a first generation high school graduate and college student(my parents only made it to 10th grade). My original plan was to attend nursing school but when I applied in 2010 at MSU I didn't get in so I decided on a different bachelors and then obtained my Masters in Public Health. My daughter is now 13 years old and I am a single mother who struggles. Growing up and never having anyone to help me with what I needed or a support system has made me determined to climb out of this toxic cycle for my daughter who deserves the world. I plan to keep working on this nursing degree so I can continue to do what I love. I plan to make a positive impact in my community by helping other youth that have faced the challenges I have. I would like to volunteer in soup kitchens and rehab centers in my community and surrounding areas. I have almost 10 years experience in home health care and currently work with children who have severe behavioral disorders and are autistic. I've come to realize that taking care of people is my passion and I would like to advance my opportunities and career by going back to school. This scholarship will help me from putting more debt on my credit cards and take a lot of weight off my shoulders. It was never easy after graduating high school and figuring out things with no support but I am still working as hard as I can hoping one day I can share my story and inspire more people than I already have. My career goal is to obtain my nursing degree and work with either psychiatric patients, the geriatric population or those who are addicts. I have a passion for all of these and I'm hoping one day I can have a job in nursing doing this. I lost my brother in 2018 and watched my family and friends families suffer from drug/alcohol addiction so I understand it on a different level. Two of my brothers have been in and out of placements their whole lives and I also work in a psychiatric hospital so I also have a strong passion for this population and the elderly population. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for considering me. Audrey 7347577271

Hi my name is Audrey Monroy. I am a first generation high school graduate and college student(my parents only made it to 10th grade highschool). My dad was adopted by a man named Mario Monroy and the rest of my family lives in Mexico on my dads side and my moms family lives in TN. I've never had any support system and have been figuring out life on my own for a long time. If I could tell you my whole story you would be amazed. I am still fighting to break this cycle of poverty and live a life that I know we all deserve. My original plan was to attend nursing school but when I applied in 2010 at MSU I didn't get in so I decided on a different bachelors and then obtained my Masters in Public Health. My daughter is now 13 years old and I am a single mother who struggles. I have almost 10 years experience in home health care and currently work with children who have severe behavioral disorders and are autistic. I've come to realize that taking care of people is my passion and I would like to advance my opportunities and career by staying in this nursing program. I currently have a 4.0 in the program. I dont qualify for any financial aid sicne I already have degrees and I'm not sure how to finish paying for this program. I also owe over 100K in student loans. This scholarship will help me from putting more debt on my credit cards and take a lot of weight off my shoulders. My rent is so expensive that any extra money I have will help me to secure food and pay off debt that I've been struggling with. It was never easy after graduating high school and figuring out things with no support but I am still working as hard as I can hoping one day I can share my story and inspire more people than I already have. My career goal is to obtain my nursing degree and work with either psychiatric patients, the geriatric population or those who are addicts. I have a passion for all of these and I'm hoping one day I can have a job in nursing doing this. I lost my brother in 2018 and watched my family and friends families suffer from drug/alcohol addiction so I understand it on a different level. Two of my brothers have been in and out of placements their whole lives and I also work in a psychiatric hospital so I also have a strong passion for this population and the elderly population. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for considering me.

I am a first generation high school graduate and college student(my parents only made it to 10th grade). My original plan was to attend nursing school but when I applied in 2010 at MSU I didn't get in so I decided on a different bachelors and then obtained my Masters in Public Health. My daughter is now 13 years old and I am a single mother who struggles. I've worked so hard to beat this cycle and I am still striving and trying not to give up. I am always trying to better because I don't want my daughter to have to face the things I have alone. I am currently in nursing school and I can tell when she looks at me she is amazed. I've lived by myself since I was 23 years old. Sometimes I wish I could go home because life is so expensive and its truly hard but there is no home to go back to so I wake up each day as humble as I can and I keep fighting this fight. I have almost 10 years experience in home health care and currently work with children who have severe behavioral disorders and are autistic. I've come to realize that taking care of people is my passion and I would like to advance my opportunities and career by staying in this nursing program. This scholarship will help me from putting more debt on my credit cards and take a lot of weight off my shoulders. It was never easy after graduating high school and figuring out things with no support but I am still working as hard as I can hoping one day I can share my story and inspire more people than I already have. My career goal is to obtain my nursing degree and work with either psychiatric patients, the geriatric population or those who are addicts. I have a passion for all of these and I'm hoping one day I can have a job in nursing doing this. I lost my brother in 2018 and watched my family and friends families suffer from drug/alcohol addiction so I understand it on a different level. Two of my brothers have been in and out of placements their whole lives and I also work in a psychiatric hospital so I also have a strong passion for this population and the elderly population. The last 3 years as a single mother haven't been the easiest and I've accumulated a lot of debt. This scholarship will greatly help me reach my goals. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

I am a first-generation high school graduate and college student(my parents only made it to 10th grade). My original plan was to attend nursing school but when I applied in 2010 at MSU I didn't get in so I decided on a different bachelor and then obtained my Masters in Public Health. My daughter is now 13 years old and I am a single mother who struggles. I have almost 10 years experience in home health care and currently work with children who have severe behavioral disorders and are autistic. I've come to realize that taking care of people is my passion and I would like to advance my opportunities and career by going back to school. This scholarship will help me from putting more debt on my credit cards and take a lot of weight off my shoulders. It was never easy after graduating high school and figuring out things with no support but I am still working as hard as I can hoping one day I can share my story and inspire more people than I already have. My career goal is to obtain my nursing degree and work with either psychiatric patients, the geriatric population or those who are addicts. I have a passion for all of these and I'm hoping one day I can have a job in nursing doing this. I lost my brother in 2018 and watched my family and friends families suffer from drug/alcohol addiction so I understand it on a different level. Two of my brothers have been in and out of placements their whole lives and I also work in a psychiatric hospital so I also have a strong passion for this population and the elderly population. The last 3 years as a single mother haven't been the easiest and I've accumulated a lot of debt. This scholarship will greatly help me reach my goals. I plan to make a positive impact in this world by helping every single person that I can while remaining humble, nonjudgmental and remembering where I came from. Life is hard and I want to help people smile, to feel better and to find the joy and passion in this life that everyone deserves. So many are without and I hope to be the one to make a difference in their lives one day. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for considering helping me get through this nursing program.

Growing up was a struggle because my family was very dysfunctional. My mom is mentally ill and my dad to this day only makes $14 an hour and struggles. I knew I had to get away so I applied to colleges myself and went away to school. It definitely hasn't been easy navigating everything I have on my own but it has made me strong. I don't want to ever give up. There's times I thought I would because it was so hard but I am so happy I am continuing to fight, my daughter deserves it. Thank you for listening. Audrey 734-757-7271

Your mind is everything. Some of us are less fortunate than others but it doesn't mean we don't deserve the same level of care and someone to listen to us. I grew up in a dysfunctional family and my entire family struggles with mental health. I can't fix it all because there's no way to although I wish I could. It breaks my heart. I never had proper support to guide me or parent's to help me. My mom is mentally ill and so are two of my brothers. Its almost enough to drive you crazy. I have never given up but I can't say there isn't a few times that I have thought of letting it all go. I want to be that change for someone. I want to help others with the things they need and be that person they can listen to. That is a hobby of mine and I am beyond passionate about it. We ALL deserve someone. As I grow in my career and become more stable I'm hoping to volunteer in places where I can meet others who truly need someone like me who has been through things they can relate and be the help they need or help them find the help they need. Thank you for listening. Audrey 734-757-7271