Recovery is the difference between life and death for me. I started drinking and using drugs at the age of 13. I had suffered multiple forms of abuse as a child and was looking for an escape. I found that for a while, but very soon my substance abuse was compounding my difficulties. By age 15, I was a daily drinker, had dropped out of high school, became a ward of the state and then homeless. By the time I was 21, I was at the end of my rope. I couldn't imagine life with alcohol or without it. I was suicidal and saw no way to ever be okay. By a series of miracles, I ended up in a treatment center and then a 12-step program. That was in October of 2006 and I have been sober ever since. For 17 years, I have walked through life, the good and the hard, without having to take a drink or drug to cope. I’m now healthy, happily married, on my way to being the first in my family with a Bachelor's degree, and volunteering in big cat conservation. I have a program to live by and get to help other women. I am studying to become a forensic scientist so I can continue to give back to my community. I have a life well worth living and if not for my sobriety, I couldn't have ever acquired any of this, nor would I be able to keep it.

Recovery is the difference between life and death for me. I started drinking and using drugs at the age of 13. I had suffered multiple forms of abuse as a child and was looking for an escape. I found that for a while, but very soon my substance abuse was compounding my difficulties. By age 15 I was a daily drinker, had dropped out of high school, became a ward of the state and then homeless. I spent time on Skid Row in Los Angeles. I jumped from one abusive relationship to the next. By the time I was 21 I was at the end of my rope. I was at what's called the “jumping off place,” where I couldn't imagine life with alcohol or without it. I was suicidal and saw no way to ever be okay. By a series of miracles, I ended up in a treatment center and then a 12-step program. That was in October of 2006 and I have been sober ever since. As a result of the gifts of sobriety, I am now a healthy, happily married homeowner. I have a program and sponsor other women in theirs. Presently, I am studying to become a forensic scientist so I can continue to give back to my community in the best way that I can conceive of. I have a life well-worth living and if not for my sobriety, I couldn't have ever acquired any of this, nor would I be able to keep it.

HI! I'm Erika, a first-generation college student studying Biology, with the intention of going into DNA Forensics. My long-term goal is to work on the backlog of DNA kits that haven't been processed due to a lack of staffing. As a victim of crime, myself, I understand the value of this work. I cannot stand that there are people who have been victimized and denied justice simply because there was no one to perform the testing. Recently, scientists in Detroit set out to eradicate their backlog of DNA kits. As of April 2022, over 11,000 kits had been processed, which identified over 750 serial rapists. If they had been able to run those kits as they came in, countless assaults could have been prevented. Countless people's lives could have been saved. Countless people wouldn't have to feel afraid of encountering their attacker every time they leave their home. I want to be a part of solving this problem. For similar reasons, I'm also very interested in the emerging field of forensic genetic genealogy. That we can now solve cold cases and give families closure by familial DNA is an exciting innovation. After making a dent in that vocation, I want to work in the conservation of endangered animals, as that is my other passion. I have always been a lover of animals, most especially cats, big and small. I would love to study and aid in the conservation of animals under threat of extinction. My childhood was rough, but the hardships instilled in me a deep empathy and sense of justice. Growing up in the foster system, I learned to be savvy, but also that higher education wasn't available to me. After a late start, I am finally able to get an education and do what really drives me - my passion for helping people and animals. Having struggled so much, myself, it has become my mission in life to help others who similarly struggle.

My Grammy, Patsy, was the most perfect, beautiful angel who ever graced this earth. She was the only bright spot in my growing up. He believed in me when it felt like no one else did, and she was proud of me. My own mother wasn't capable of any of that, but luckily for me, her mother was. I grew up in the foster care system where I learned to be savvy, but also that higher education wasn't available to me. In my teens, I turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with homelessness and trauma. I managed to sober up at 21 and started to turn my life around; it's now been over 15 years. No one was prouder of my sobriety than my grandma. She was the only one who never gave up on me and always recognized my potential. She encouraged me and lifted me up. She loved me when even I wasn't able to. When I lost her four years ago, my world went dark. I fell into a deep depression. I didn't know how to go on. But I summoned a fraction of her strength and I have, yet again, pulled myself together. I know that she is still encouraging me to move forward, grow, and achieve my potential. Having suffered so much myself, I have deep empathy for people and animals and a passion to be useful to my fellows. I am now sober for over 15 years, married to a wonderful person, a homeowner, and finally able to get an education and do what really drives me - my passion for helping people and animals. I know that my grandma would be so proud of what I'm doing and that drives me when things get hard.

HI! I'm Erika, a first-generation college student. I am studying Biology, with the intention of going into DNA Forensics. I have lined up an internship at my local crime lab for the summer and I couldn't be more excited about it. I will be shadowing the criminalists and hope to learn more about what goes into forensic science. My long-term goal is to work on the backlog of DNA kits that haven't been processed due to a lack of staffing. As a victim of crime, myself, I understand the value of this work. I selected a Biology degree because after making a dent in my first vocation, I want to work in the conservation of endangered animals. The only other thing I’ve ever wanted to do in life is to hug a tiger. Barring that (since it wouldn’t be good for the animal) I want to do what I can to conserve the populations of all big cats, as well as other animals. I am also very interested in earning a Master’s degree. I am still undecided on my focus for that, but I am considering forensic psychology, zoology, and mycology, among a few other options. These are things I've never had the opportunity to seriously consider before. Realizing that I can do anything has been so empowering! I grew up in the foster care system where I learned to be savvy, but also that higher education wasn't available to me. In my teens, I turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with homelessness and trauma. It took me a few years, but I sobered up at 21 and started to turn my life around. I was able to find employment and support myself financially, but just barely. Eventually, I managed to become a Cosmetologist, which further helped me to claw myself out of poverty. I am now sober for over 15 years, married to a wonderful person, a homeowner, and finally able to get an education and do what really drives me - my passion for helping people and animals. Having struggled so much, myself, it has become my mission in life to help others who similarly struggle.

Enduring alcoholism and homelessness at a young age, I became hardened, brash and abrasive. The world was a dangerous place for me and I adapted. Once I got sober and built a healthy life, I found that I'm really none of those things. I am soft, sensitive and I care about people. I am fun and silly and never knew it! My experiences from that dark period of my life do still have an effect, though, and that dichotomy definitely come out in my art. I found acrylics paints around a year ago and discovered that I love to paint things that are typically beautiful, though in an ugly state - mostly dead flowers. I love mixing spooky, scary, and feminine all into one. I hope to acquire the skill necessary to bring the images I imagine onto the canvas. This piece is one of my first and it's one I'm really proud of. I followed a tutorial by Painting by Jane on YouTube and I learned so much! This is now my usual style.

Growing up I suffered through terrible abuse, some of which landed my father with a Life sentence in prison. That was incredibly hard, but how I coped with it was just as difficult, if not harder. At 13 years old I started drinking and doing drugs to cope with how I felt. I shortly started having trouble in school, and dropped out at 14. I had grown up in GATE classes, hearing constantly about my "potential." I had big plans to be emancipated, go to college, get a job and have a good life. Instead, by 16 I was a daily drinker, homeless and spent my days panhandling and trying to avoid being arrested. I got into abusive relationships, trying to find what would fix me. By 21 I had spent time on Skid Row and I couldn't imagine life getting worse. I knew alcohol wasn't helping my situation, but I couldn't imagine life without it either. I reached my breaking point and as a last resort, I entered into a treatment program. I started the journey into sobriety in August of 2006, and haven't had a drink or taken a drug in the 15 years since. Maintaining continuous sobriety has allowed me to build a life worth living. It's taken time and hard work to dig myself out of the hole I was in, but today my childhood dreams are attainable. I have a healthy, happy marriage; I'm a homeowner now; I am responsible for 2 beautiful animals; I have been gainfully employed and self-supporting. I am now finally pursuing my lifelong dream of becoming a forensic scientist. I cannot wait to be a part of searching for truth and doing what I can to make the justice system work. This scholarship could help me accomplish my goals.

We all have different versions of ourselves that emerge in different settings, but being as integrated and authentic as possible in all settings is how I stay true to myself. I want to be the same person at school and work and at home. When I was younger, I used to splinter and compartmentalize myself, trying to be who people wanted me to be, and it didn’t work. It was ineffective, as well as being incredibly harmful to me. I felt like a faker and a fraud all the time. I was constantly afraid of being found out. I can to a breaking point and realized something had to change. So I decided to live with integrity, live up to my own standards as best as I could and not worry about what other people’s ideals are. Letting go of what I think other people want from me, and just presenting who and what I am, has been the single best thing I’ve ever done for myself. I’m never afraid of being found out and no longer suffer from the shame fo feeling like a fraud. I sleep easier at night. Each night I review my day and consider what I didn’t right and what I could have done differently. This keeps me accountable to myself, and allows me to feel secure in who I am.

I have seen how everything in life is cyclical. Day turns to night, and back again. The tide ebbs and rises. The moon waxes and wanes. So I’m tough times, I remind myself that it can’t rain all the time. I hang on, knowing things will get better in time. Until it does, I do what’s in front of me and keep trudging. Ans I wait. One of my favorite movies tells us “the only way out is through,” paraphrasing Robert Frost’s A Servant to Servants. I have taken this lesson to heart. I also remind myself that I have gotten through 100% of all of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through. After the suicide of my significant other and my grandmother’s death, I’m pretty sure I can get through anything. I can’t imagine anything will be a fraction as difficult as those experiences, but should I come up against something that does, I know that I’ll figure out how to walk through that as well.