In September of 1998, while my father was on a training mission in Las Vegas, Nevada, two uniformed men arrived at my house while I was playing basketball outside. I was ten years old. I was unaware of the life-altering news they were about to impart. When they saw my mom, they recited the tragic words, “Mrs. Jones, we regret to inform you that Sgt. Wayne R. Jones has been killed in action…” Our family would never be the same. He died on a Sunday, and I decided to go to school the next day. I was in clear denial, a state of mind I would remain in for the next two years. Over those two years, I would periodically lash out and display behavior that is common with loss. My mother had me see an anger management counselor for six months. All seemed well until I went on a youth retreat and lied to the pastor that oversaw the event. In class one day, a classmate had showed me a brochure to a military high school, New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI). I would then bring the idea of me attending this school under the guise that I, “needed more structure and male leadership.” My mother agreed and, as a 145lb freshmen in high school, I was dropped off July 21, 2002. I attended there for the next six years where I finished both high school and my Associate’s degree. I attended two more colleges and completed my Bachelor’s degree where I would then bounce from entry level job to the next. I eventually returned to the city where NMMI is and found my wife, Jessica. We were married within eight months of us meeting and are now eleven years in with four beautiful girls. After an unfortunate layoff situation, I found myself depressed and searching for how I would provide for my family. I had now been fired three times in my life, had a family, and no means of providing for them. My depression had reached an all-time high or low, so to speak. After holding various jobs, including substitute teaching, and talking with numerous trusted friends, my mood stabilized, and I returned to school to get my teaching license, a program that I paid for out of pocket but that avenue is no longer feasible. Teaching is where I belonged, it is where I could be truly used. I love teaching, but after a conversation with my mentor and his heart for the families of my city, I too began to have a deep burden for my community, and I knew I was being called to another direction once again. Over the last year, my passion for listening to people and helping them overcome their issues has grown immensely. I have a burden to hear people and empathize with them. While my father was called to serve his country, and in doing so, gave up his life “so that others may live,” I am being called to be a licensed marriage and family therapist for my community with a similar sentiment. I understand that this is a rather unorthodox or untypical request. I am humbly asking for your consideration to support me in obtaining a Marriage and Family Counseling license. I have already been accepted to a program and began classes in the spring of 2024. I am in need of financial assistance in walking through this endeavor. I thank you for your consideration, time, and effort on my behalf and I look forward to hearing your response.

In September of 1998, while my father was on a training mission in Las Vegas, Nevada, two uniformed men arrived at my house while I was playing basketball outside. I was ten years old. I was unaware of the life-altering news they were about to impart. When they saw my mom, they recited the tragic words, “Mrs. Jones, we regret to inform you that Sgt. Wayne R. Jones has been killed in action…” Our family would never be the same. He died on a Sunday, and I decided to go to school the next day. I was in clear denial, a state of mind I would remain in for the next two years. Over those two years, I would periodically lash out and display behavior that is common with loss. My mother had me see an anger management counselor for six months. All seemed well until I went on a youth retreat and lied to the pastor that oversaw the event. In class one day, a classmate had showed me a brochure to a military high school, New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI). I would then bring the idea of me attending this school under the guise that I, “needed more structure and male leadership.” My mother agreed and, as a 145lb freshmen in high school, I was dropped off July 21, 2002. I attended there for the next six years where I finished both high school and my Associate’s degree. I attended two more colleges and completed my Bachelor’s degree where I would then bounce from entry level job to the next. I eventually returned to the city where NMMI is and found my wife, Jessica. We were married within eight months of us meeting and are now eleven years in with four beautiful girls. After an unfortunate layoff situation, I found myself depressed and searching for how I would provide for my family. I had now been fired three times in my life, had a family, and no means of providing for them. My depression had reached an all-time high or low, so to speak. After holding various jobs, including substitute teaching, and talking with numerous trusted friends, my mood stabilized, and I returned to school to get my teaching license, a program that I paid for out of pocket but that avenue is no longer feasible. Teaching is where I belonged, it is where I could be truly used. I love teaching, but after a conversation with my mentor and his heart for the families of my city, I too began to have a deep burden for my community, and I knew I was being called to another direction once again. Over the last year, my passion for listening to people and helping them overcome their issues has grown immensely. I have a burden to hear people and empathize with them. While my father was called to serve his country, and in doing so, gave up his life “so that others may live,” I am being called to be a licensed marriage and family therapist for my community with a similar sentiment. I understand that this is a rather unorthodox or untypical request. I am humbly asking for your consideration to support me in obtaining a Marriage and Family Counseling license. I have already been accepted to a program and began classes in the spring of 2024. I am in need of financial assistance in walking through this endeavor. I thank you for your consideration, time, and effort on my behalf and I look forward to hearing your response.

In 2018, the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry published an article titled “Critical Issues in Men’s Mental Health.” The article addresses six aspects of men’s mental health that are often overlooked or not even part of the discussion surrounding society’s general mental health issues. These issues include the drastic rise in suicide and alcoholism in the last decade as well as the typical coping mechanism men employ when dealing with stress, suffering, anger, or abrupt changes. The statistics are jarring. I have been working in education for five years and ministry for more than a decade and have observed a steady increase in mental health issues in general with men making up the vast majority of the patients. I live in a small town in a rather innocuous state that struggles to be recognized for anything other than negative statistics such as, last in education and reaching the top of the list for drunk driving and S.T.D.s per capita. The amazing town of approximately 12,000 employs only one licensed mental heath professional. The city does have a staggering ratio of churches per capita with the last recorded number being over thirty, according to the Chamber of Commerce. The ecumenical staff at these differing sects of churches perform most of the mental health therapy in terms of providing spiritually based advice, however, most senior staff members have admitted that more often than not these individuals and families are recommended to the city’s one therapist or neighboring cities with the closest being forty-five miles away due to the issues or required treatment being beyond their scope. My calling to the field of marriage and family therapy stems from an overwhelming need that exists as well as deep passion to serve my and surrounding cities in a manner that desires to see communities’ mental health needs met. I have a zeal for marriages and families and, as a teacher, have witnessed more than my fair share of ‘broken homes,’ failed marriages, and the fallout that stems from individuals and families that do not get the help they need. Obtaining a license to practice marriage and family therapy is comparatively easier in my state, however, it does come with a cost. In September of 1998, while my father was on a training mission in Las Vegas, Nevada, two uniformed men arrived at my house while I was playing basketball outside. I was ten years old. I was unaware of the life-altering news they were about to impart. When they saw my mom, they recited the tragic words, “Mrs. Jones, we regret to inform you that Sgt. Wayne R. Jones has been killed in action…” Our family would never be the same. He died on a Sunday, and I decided to go to school the next day. I was in clear denial, a state of mind I would remain in for the next two years. Over those two years, I would periodically lash out and display behavior that is common with loss. My mother had me see an anger management counselor for six months. All seemed well until I went on a youth retreat and lied to the pastor that oversaw the event. In class one day, a classmate had showed me a brochure to a military high school, New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI). I would then bring the idea of me attending this school under the guise that I, “needed more structure and male leadership.” My mother agreed and, as a 145lb freshmen in high school, I was dropped off July 21, 2002. I attended there for the next six years where I finished both high school and my Associate’s degree. I attended two more colleges and completed my Bachelor’s degree where I would then bounce from entry level job to the next. I eventually returned to the city where NMMI is and found my wife, Jessica. We were married within eight months of us meeting and are now eleven years in with four beautiful girls. After an unfortunate layoff situation, I found myself depressed and searching for how I would provide for my family. I had now been fired three times in my life, had a family, and no means of providing for them. My depression had reached an all-time high or low, so to speak. After holding various jobs, including substitute teaching, and talking with numerous trusted friends, my mood stabilized, and I returned to school to get my teaching license, a program that I paid for out of pocket but that avenue is no longer feasible. Teaching is where I belonged, it is where I could be truly used. I love teaching, but after a conversation with my mentor and his heart for the families of my city, I too began to have a deep burden for my community, and I knew I was being called to another direction once again. Over the last year, my passion for listening to people and helping them overcome their issues has grown immensely. I have a burden to hear people and empathize with them. While my father was called to serve his country, and in doing so, gave up his life “so that others may live,” I am being called to be a licensed marriage and family therapist for my community with a similar sentiment. I understand that this is a rather unorthodox or untypical request. I am humbly asking for your consideration to support me in obtaining a Marriage and Family Counseling license. I have already been accepted to a program and began classes in the spring of 2024. I am in need of financial assistance in walking through this endeavor. I thank you for your consideration, time, and effort on my behalf and I look forward to hearing your response.

In September of 1998, while my father was on a training mission in Las Vegas, Nevada, two uniformed men arrived at my house while I was playing basketball outside. I was ten years old. I was unaware of the life-altering news they were about to impart. When they saw my mom, they recited the tragic words, “Mrs. Jones, we regret to inform you that Sgt. Wayne R. Jones has been killed in action…” Our family would never be the same. He died on a Sunday, and I decided to go to school the next day. I was in clear denial, a state of mind I would remain in for the next two years. Over those two years, I would periodically lash out and display behavior that is common with loss. My mother had me see an anger management counselor for six months. All seemed well until I went on a youth retreat and lied to the pastor that oversaw the event. In class one day, a classmate had showed me a brochure to a military high school, New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI). I would then bring the idea of me attending this school under the guise that I, “needed more structure and male leadership.” My mother agreed and, as a 145lb freshmen in high school, I was dropped off July 21, 2002. I attended there for the next six years where I finished both high school and my Associate’s degree. I attended two more colleges and completed my Bachelor’s degree where I would then bounce from entry level job to the next. I eventually returned to the city where NMMI is and found my wife, Jessica. We were married within eight months of us meeting and are now eleven years in with four beautiful girls. After an unfortunate layoff situation, I found myself depressed and searching for how I would provide for my family. I had now been fired three times in my life, had a family, and no means of providing for them. My depression had reached an all-time high or low, so to speak. After holding various jobs, including substitute teaching, and talking with numerous trusted friends, my mood stabilized, and I returned to school to get my teaching license, a program that I paid for out of pocket but that avenue is no longer feasible. Teaching is where I belonged, it is where I could be truly used. I love teaching, but after a conversation with my mentor and his heart for the families of my city, I too began to have a deep burden for my community, and I knew I was being called to another direction once again. Over the last year, my passion for listening to people and helping them overcome their issues has grown immensely. I have a burden to hear people and empathize with them. While my father was called to serve his country, and in doing so, gave up his life “so that others may live,” I am being called to be a licensed marriage and family therapist for my community with a similar sentiment. I understand that this is a rather unorthodox or untypical request. I am humbly asking for your consideration to support me in obtaining a Marriage and Family Counseling license. I have already been accepted to a program and began classes in the spring of 2024. I am in need of financial assistance in walking through this endeavor. I thank you for your consideration, time, and effort on my behalf and I look forward to hearing your response.

In September of 1998, while my father was on a training mission in Las Vegas, Nevada, two uniformed men arrived at my house while I was playing basketball outside. I was ten years old. I was unaware of the life-altering news they were about to impart. When they saw my mom, they recited the tragic words, “Mrs. Jones, we regret to inform you that Sgt. Wayne R. Jones has been killed in action…” Our family would never be the same. He died on a Sunday, and I decided to go to school the next day. I was in clear denial, a state of mind I would remain in for the next two years. Over those two years, I would periodically lash out and display behavior that is common with loss. My mother had me see an anger management counselor for six months. All seemed well until I went on a youth retreat and lied to the pastor that oversaw the event. In class one day, a classmate had showed me a brochure to a military high school, New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI). I would then bring the idea of me attending this school under the guise that I, “needed more structure and male leadership.” My mother agreed and, as a 145lb freshmen in high school, I was dropped off July 21, 2002. I attended there for the next six years where I finished both high school and my Associate’s degree. I attended two more colleges and completed my Bachelor’s degree where I would then bounce from entry level job to the next. I eventually returned to the city where NMMI is and found my wife, Jessica. We were married within eight months of us meeting and are now eleven years in with four beautiful girls. After an unfortunate layoff situation, I found myself depressed and searching for how I would provide for my family. I had now been fired three times in my life, had a family, and no means of providing for them. My depression had reached an all-time high or low, so to speak. After holding various jobs, including substitute teaching, and talking with numerous trusted friends, my mood stabilized, and I returned to school to get my teaching license, a program that I paid for out of pocket but that avenue is no longer feasible. Teaching is where I belonged, it is where I could be truly used. I love teaching, but after a conversation with my mentor and his heart for the families of my city, I too began to have a deep burden for my community, and I knew I was being called to another direction once again. Over the last year, my passion for listening to people and helping them overcome their issues has grown immensely. I have a burden to hear people and empathize with them. While my father was called to serve his country, and in doing so, gave up his life “so that others may live,” I am being called to be a licensed marriage and family therapist for my community with a similar sentiment. I understand that this is a rather unorthodox or untypical request. I am humbly asking for your consideration to support me in obtaining a Marriage and Family Counseling license. I have already been accepted to a program and began classes in the spring of 2024. I am in need of financial assistance in walking through this endeavor. I thank you for your consideration, time, and effort on my behalf and I look forward to hearing your response.

In 2018, the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry published an article titled “Critical Issues in Men’s Mental Health.” The article addresses six aspects of men’s mental health that are often overlooked or not even part of the discussion surrounding society’s general mental health issues. These issues include the drastic rise in suicide and alcoholism in the last decade as well as the typical coping mechanism men employ when dealing with stress, suffering, anger, or abrupt changes. The statistics are jarring. I have been working in education for five years and ministry for more than a decade and have observed a steady increase in mental health issues in general with men making up the vast majority of the patients. My name is Aaron Jones. I live in a small town in a rather innocuous state that struggles to be recognized for anything other than negative statistics such as, last in education and reaching the top of the list for drunk driving and S.T.D.s per capita. The amazing town of approximately 12,000 employs only one licensed mental heath professional. The city does have a staggering ratio of churches per capita with the last recorded number being over thirty, according to the Chamber of Commerce. The ecumenical staff at these differing sects of churches perform most of the mental health therapy in terms of providing spiritually based advice, however, most senior staff members have admitted that more often than not these individuals and families are recommended to the city’s one therapist or neighboring cities with the closest being forty-five miles away due to the issues or required treatment being beyond their scope. My calling to the field of marriage and family therapy stems from an overwhelming need that exists as well as deep passion to serve my and surrounding cities in a manner that desires to see communities’ mental health needs met. I have a zeal for marriages and families and, as currently a teacher, have witnessed more than my fair share of ‘broken homes,’ failed marriages, and the fallout that stems from individuals and families that do not get the help they need. Obtaining a license to practice marriage and family therapy is comparatively easier in my state, however, it does come with a cost. Just as the patients I wish to serve need my help, I too need financial assistance in obtaining this license. I understand that this is a rather unorthodox or untypical request. I am humbly asking for your consideration to support me in obtaining a Marriage and Family Counseling license from Liberty University and the state of New Mexico. I have already been accepted to Liberty’s program and began classes in the spring of 2024. I recently graduated from their graduate program with a separate degree. This indicates that I am more than capable of doing the work required to obtain the license, but I am in need of financial assistance in walking through this endeavor. I appreciate your consideration and thank you for this opportunity.

In 2018, the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry published an article titled “Critical Issues in Men’s Mental Health.” The article addresses six aspects of men’s mental health that are often overlooked or not even part of the discussion surrounding society’s general mental health issues. These issues include the drastic rise in suicide and alcoholism in the last decade as well as the typical coping mechanism men employ when dealing with stress, suffering, anger, or abrupt changes. My name is Aaron Jones. I live in a small town in a rather innocuous state that struggles to be recognized for anything other than negative statistics such as, last in education and reaching the top of the list for drunk driving and S.T.D.s per capita. The amazing town of approximately 12,000 employs only a handful of licensed mental heath professionals. The city does have a staggering ratio of religious organizations per capita with the last recorded number being over thirty, according to the Chamber of Commerce. The ecumenical staff at these differing sects of churches perform most of the mental health therapy in terms of providing spiritually based advice, however, most senior staff members have admitted that more often than not these individuals and families are recommended to the city’s one therapist or neighboring cities with the closest being forty-five miles away due to the issues or required treatment being beyond their scope. My calling to the field of marriage and family therapy stems from an overwhelming need that exists as well as deep passion to serve my and surrounding cities in a manner that desires to see communities’ mental health needs met. Unfortunately, I have been a part of the lives of numerous families who have experienced suicide; I have seen how these tragedies take a toll on them and what can happen if they do not receive the proper help. My step-brother is a firefighter/EMT and found an organization that brings awareness to suicide prevention of first responders. I have heard his stories and met with many of these families. The difference between when a family or individual who has been exposed to the trauma of suicide receives mental health counseling and not is staggering. Obtaining a license to practice marriage and family therapy is comparatively easier in my state, however, it does come with a cost. Just as the patients I wish to serve need my help, I too need financial assistance in obtaining this license. I understand that this is a rather unorthodox or untypical request. I am humbly asking for your consideration to support me in obtaining a Marriage and Family Counseling license from Liberty University and the state of New Mexico. I have already been accepted to Liberty’s program and began classes in the spring of 2024. I recently graduated from their graduate program with a separate degree. This indicates that I am more than capable of doing the work required to obtain the license, but I am in need of financial assistance in walking through this endeavor. I thank you for this opportunity.

The year is1992. I am a five-year-old who heard my sisters and their friend playing a "video game" in the living room. I stood there watching as my sisters told me the game was “too violent” for me to watch, but my parents were not around. I was mesmerized by the concept of a human being controlling a player that was fighting another player and then I heard the infamous “FINISH HIM!” I was hooked. Mortal Kombat on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) would be my introduction to video games and a life of adventure and wonder. I went on to enjoy and escape worlds like that of Donkey Kong and Mario Kart. It was not until much later after its release that I would discover Super Mario World, my favorite game of all time. The age-old tale of Mario (and Yoshi) making their way through perilous level after level that the evil Bowser and his children set before them in order to save Princess Peach allowed me to escape from a fatherless childhood. As if playing the game, seeing the various environments each with their unique and enchanting music, was not enough, I would learn that playing the game with a friend was exponentially more satisfying. Neighborhood friends would join me in my adventure and we would join together to see who could get the higher scores as we raced to the flagpoles. Without Nintendo’s introduction to video games and Mario’s unsuspecting leadership, I fear where I would be as a young man. It provided a pseudo structure for my life; my mom knew where I was when she would look for me. This structure and passion would carry with me into my adult life and a pleasure for me to pass onto my four children who love Mario and his adventures. One of my daughters is particularly drawn to Wario though. A scholarship from Nintendo would be an honor and provide much need assistance as I seek to finish a Marriage and Family Counseling degree, one in which I am researching how video games can be used as an intervention for children who live in single-parent households. I thank you all for this opportunity and humbly ask for your consideration.

Sitting on the pulled out back seat of a 1986 Chevy Suburban at ten years old, I saw a blue Ford Explorer pull into the drive way and two men in "Class A" military uniforms step out of the vehicle. They asked me where my mother was and I led them inside through the garage and up the stairs to the front living room where my mother was standing by the door. The look of dread on her face when they, "... regret to inform her that TSgt. Wayne R. Jones was killed in action..." during a training mission on September 27, 1998, will forever be emblazoned into my mind. Now, twenty-five years later still keeps me up at night. My father's passing utterly shifted the trajectory of my family. He was less than a year from retirement after twenty-one years in the Air Force serving in Special Operations as a Pararescue Jumper (PJ), and had applied and been accepted as a country sheriff's deputy upon his retirement. My mother was enrolled and attending nursing school with five children at home. I was in fifth grade, Mrs. Puckett, and the grace with which the school delt with my sisters and I through my father's passing will also never be forgotten. In fact, I can remember the numerous families, friends, and foundations that have come along side my family, both my sisters and I and my now family consisting of my wife and four daughters, and have lent a helping hand, an attentive ear, or a financial blessing. As I seek to attend graduate school in order to obtain my Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy so that I can serve my community and bless families that have also endured loss, specifically young men, I am also seeking the assistance of this scholarship. Being awarded this scholarship will be a tremendous blessing and I and my family would be eternally grateful. It is scholarships like these that give families such as mine hope. I do not know a single family that would not give up anything to have their loved one(s) back, however, when situations like these exist in order to help people who have lost, it, in any minute amount, provides a semblance of peace. As I have told countless people I have talked to about dealing with loss, "It doesn't ever get easier, you learn to live with it better." Being awarded a scholarship like this would certainly help in "living with it better" as it would remove much of the financial burden placed on students such as myself who are working to better themselves and their communities. I appreciate the opportunity and humbly as for your consideration.

In 2018, the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry published an article titled “Critical Issues in Men’s Mental Health.” The article addresses six aspects of men’s mental health that are often overlooked or not even part of the discussion surrounding society’s general mental health issues. These issues include the drastic rise in suicide and alcoholism in the last decade as well as the typical coping mechanism men employ when dealing with stress, suffering, anger, or abrupt changes. I live in a small town in a rather innocuous state that struggles to be recognized for anything other than negative statistics such as, last in education and reaching the top of the list for drunk driving and S.T.D.s per capita. The town of approximately 12,000 employs only one licensed mental heath professional. The ecumenical staff at these differing sects of churches perform most of the mental health therapy, however, most senior staff members have admitted that more often than not these individuals and families are recommended to the city’s one therapist or neighboring cities with the closest being forty-five miles away due to the issues or required treatment being beyond their scope. My calling to the field of marriage and family therapy stems from an overwhelming need that exists as well as deep passion to serve my and surrounding cities in a manner that desires to see communities’ mental health needs met. I have a zeal for marriages and families and, as a teacher, have witnessed more than my fair share of ‘broken homes,’ failed marriages, and the fallout that stems from individuals and families that do not get the help they need. Obtaining a license to practice marriage and family therapy is comparatively easier in my state, however, it does come with a cost. Just as the patients I wish to serve need my help, I too need financial assistance in obtaining this license. My name is Aaron Jones. I was born in Niceville, Florida to Wayne and Jean Jones. My father was in the Air Force, Special Operations division. My mother was a stay-at-home mom that also watched several other children while we lived in Florida. In September of 1998, while my father was on a training mission in Las Vegas, Nevada, two uniformed men arrived at my house while I was playing basketball outside. I was ten years old. I walked the two men inside after they requested to see my mother. I was unaware of the life-altering news they were about to impart. When they saw my mom, they recited the tragic words, “Mrs. Jones, we regret to inform you that Sgt. Wayne R. Jones has been killed in action…” Our family would never be the same. This loss would send me into denial and eventually land me a military school where I finished both high school and my Associate’s degree. I have also obtained my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. I believe I am the right candidate to receive this scholarship due to a proven track record of dedication to excellence, empathetic behavior, and professionalism. My educational record shows that I am capable and committed to doing the work necessary to obtain the license. I am the youngest and only boy in my family; I have learned to listen well and actively. My life experiences allow me to be empathic to families, especially those dealing with loss, and the experiences I have had with addiction, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder give me an inside view into what my future patients may be struggling with. I humbly ask for your consideration and look forward to hearing your decision. Grace & Peace.

A Small-Town In Desperate Need In 2018, the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry published an article titled “Critical Issues in Men’s Mental Health.” The article addresses six aspects of men’s mental health that are often overlooked or not even part of the discussion surrounding society’s general mental health issues. These issues include the drastic rise in suicide and alcoholism in the last decade as well as the typical coping mechanism men employ when dealing with stress, suffering, anger, or abrupt changes. The statistics are jarring. I have been working in education for five years and ministry for more than a decade and have observed a steady increase in mental health issues in general with men making up the vast majority of the patients. I live in a small town in a rather innocuous state that struggles to be recognized for anything other than negative statistics such as, last in education and reaching the top of the list for drunk driving and S.T.D.s per capita. The town of approximately 12,000 employs only one licensed mental heath professional. The city does have a staggering ratio of churches per capita with the last recorded number being over thirty, according to the Chamber of Commerce. The ecumenical staff at these differing sects of churches perform most of the mental health therapy, however most senior staff members have admitted that more often than not these individuals and families are recommended to the city’s one therapist or neighboring cities with the closest being forty-five miles away due to the issues or required treatment being beyond their scope. My calling to the field of marriage and family therapy stems from an overwhelming need that exists as well as deep passion to serve my and surrounding cities in a manner that desires to see communities’ mental health needs met. I have a zeal for marriages and families and, as a teacher, have witnessed more than my fair share of ‘broken homes,’ failed marriages, and the fallout that stems from individuals and families that do not get the help they need. Obtaining a license to practice marriage and family therapy is comparatively easier in my state, however, it does come with a cost. Just as the patients I wish to serve need my help, I too need financial assistance in obtaining this license. Who I Am My name is Aaron Jones. I was born in Niceville, Florida to Wayne and Jean Jones. I have two older sisters, Jessie and Mali and they are more than two years older than me. My father was in the Air Force, Special Operations division. My mother was a stay-at-home mom that also watched several other children while we lived in Florida. When my dad was restationed to Albuquerque, New Mexico at Kirtland Air Force Base, my mom decided to go back to school to earn her R.N. where, upon obtaining her nursing license, served her community at the University of New Mexico hospital emergency room which is commonly known as, “the knife and gun club.” My mom would practice in numerous areas of nursing from flight nursing to sexual assault examining. Eventually, she went back to school to get her Masters in anesthetics where she now assists in over twenty surgeries per day. Both of my sisters also went into the medical field, and I have been the fortunate recipient of countless stories of their individual practices; I have heard how the physical medical field takes a toll on one’s mental health. In September of 1998, while my father was on a training mission in Las Vegas, Nevada, two uniformed men arrived at my house while I was playing basketball outside. I was ten years old. I walked the two men inside after they requested to see my mother. I was unaware of the life-altering news they were about to impart. When they saw my mom, they recited the tragic words, “Mrs. Jones, we regret to inform you that Sgt. Wayne R. Jones has been killed in action…” Our family would never be the same. He died on a Sunday, and I decided to go to school the next day. I was in clear denial, a state of mind I would remain in for the next two years. Over those two years, I would periodically lash out and display behavior that is common with loss. My mother had me see an anger management counselor for six months. All seemed well until I went on a youth retreat and lied to the pastor that oversaw the event. In class one day, a classmate had showed me a brochure to a military high school, New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI). I would then bring the idea of me attending this school under the guise that I, “needed more structure and male leadership.” My mother agreed and, as a 145lb freshmen in high school, I was dropped off July 21, 2002. While waiting to get my head shaved, an upper classman repeatedly was shouting what rank he was. I grew quite perturbed and told him to “shut up, we get it.” He suddenly turned and marched over to me where he would then ball up his fist and nearly knock me out. I was humbled in an instant. That moment would stick with me for the next six years where I finished both high school and my Associate’s degree. I attended two more colleges and completed my Bachelor’s degree where I would then bounce from entry level job to the next. I eventually returned to Roswell, New Mexico, the city where NMMI is, and I found my wife. We were married within eight months of us meeting and are now eleven years in with four beautiful girls. In the first year of our marriage, I was told to apply for a job as a “Customer Service Specialist” at a local car dealership. I got the job and would remain in that position and be promoted three times over the next three years. After an unfortunate layoff situation, I found myself depressed and searching for how I would provide for my family. I had one child at the time and found a job building fire extinguishers. After a year of nearly blowing myself up on a daily basis and building breathing air equipment for oil field companies, I applied as a manager at Walmart. Little did I know that my levels of patience, perseverance, and tenacity would be tested over the next three years where I would become one of the fastest employees to climb to the position of Store Manager. I ran a nearly ninety million dollar store and an HR manager, who held a completely different worldview than I and knew that we were of differing minds, found out that one of my employees served out-of-date chicken and held me responsible. I was released from my position. I had now been fired three times in my life, had a family of four, and no means of providing for them. My depression had reached an all-time high. After holding various jobs, including substitute teaching, and talking with numerous trusted friends, my mood stabilized, and I returned to school to get my teaching license. This is where I belonged, this is where I could be truly used. I love teaching, but after a conversation with my pastor and his heart for the families of my city, I knew I was being called to another direction once again. Over the last eight months, my heart to listen to people and help them overcome their issues has grown immensely. I have a burden to hear people and empathize with them. I am being called to be a licensed marriage and family therapist. Why Choose Me Some of the obvious has already been addressed: there is an overwhelming need for another counselor in this city for the work that currently exists, recent statistics indicate that men’s mental health issues are on the rise, and my burden for marriages and families. Apart from these points, I believe I am the right candidate to receive this scholarship due to a proven track record of dedication to excellence, empathetic behavior, and professionalism. I have already completed a graduate program in Christian apologetics, which allowed me to take numerous classes dealing with alternate worldviews and perspectives, however, this shows that I am capable and committed to doing the work necessary to obtain the license. I am the youngest and only boy in my family; I have learned to listen well and actively. My life experiences allow me to be empathic to families, especially those dealing with loss, and the experiences I have had with addiction, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder give me an inside view into what my future patients may be struggling with. I humbly ask for you consideration and look forward to hearing your decision. Grace & Peace.