Bringing awareness to suicide and mental health struggles is crucial to save lives and create a happier, healthier society. As someone deeply committed to this cause, my name is Jacie Walker, and I am an enrolled member of the Winnebago tribe of Nebraska. I am the oldest daughter of a teen mom. As a child, my goal was to give my mom the life she deserved to have, and that remains my goal today. My current aspiration is to become a psychologist or a mental health therapist, inspired by my journey through mental health challenges, including a past attempt that drastically changed my life. In the short term, I aim to secure a job in my town that helps me learn more about my culture and language while attending school. This connection to my roots is vital to my identity. While I am undecided about where to attend school, I am leaning towards Wayne State College because of its proximity to home and its welcoming campus, which would ease the transition for someone like me who doesn't cope well with significant changes. My journey with mental health challenges has not only shaped my career goals but has also fostered a deep commitment to mental health advocacy. One of these challenges was my past attempt, an experience that initially overwhelmed my family. They took considerable effort to acknowledge my need for help, eventually transforming them into my strongest supporters. This personal struggle ignited my passion to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health, especially prevalent on reservations. I deserve this scholarship not only for the financial relief it would provide but also because of my unwavering commitment to raising awareness about mental health issues, particularly in underserved communities like mine. My family sometimes struggles financially, and I am hesitant to burden them with the costs of my education. Although uncertain about the FAFSA outcome, I do know that the estimated cost of attending Wayne State College is significant. The scholarship could alleviate the financial strain by covering the estimated $1,500 for books and supplies, enabling me to pursue my education and contribute to mental health awareness. Growing up, I grappled with undiagnosed depression, a challenge my family initially found difficult to comprehend. Their eventual understanding transformed them into my strongest supporters, fueling my passion to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health on reservations and beyond. In conclusion, earning this scholarship would not only alleviate financial burdens but also empower me to make a lasting impact in my community. This support will enable me to pursue a career dedicated to mental health awareness and support, creating a positive change for those who need it the most. I am committed to being a voice for those who feel unheard and providing a beacon of hope in mental health. The scholarship will serve as a stepping stone toward achieving these goals, allowing me to make a meaningful contribution to the field and uplift individuals in need

I was 11 when I first started experiencing symptoms of depression. I was 15 when I last attempted suicide with many other attempts before that. I am 17 and I still have depression and get suicidal thoughts. I have gone through a lot of challenges in my life and I know I still have a ton to go through. Depression has ruined a lot of things for me but I try my best to look on the positive side. I wouldn't have said the same thing when I was 15. I have a lot of reasons to live, way more than I did when I was 15. I have a beautiful baby sister who lights up my world. She is my motivation to stay when I get suicidal thoughts. I have amazing friendships and I am now close with my family. Depression ruined my life but it also helped it. Being diagnosed with depression has helped me figure out what I want to do in the future and it is something I am passionate about. it has taught me to be empathic, motivated, hardworking, understanding and more. I have had many negative experiences when it came to reaching out about my mental health and I have had some when it came to therapy. My first therapist wasn't very helpful and I didn't feel comfortable talking to her. My second therapist was the best but she stopped scheduling appointments with me and didn't find me a new one like she promised she would. My current therapist is the best and I trust her a lot and feel very comfortable telling her what goes on in my life. I haven't had extremely negative experiences but it sometimes discouraged me. Although it did encourage me to become a psychologist or therapist. I knew I wanted to work in the mental health field because I wanted to help people in ways I wasn't helped. My family used to push my problems aside because they believed I was lying or exaggerating how I truly felt. My dad once told me that I was too young to be feeling depressed while I was in the hospital for attempting suicide. My grandma used to try to one-up me when I would feel comfortable telling her how I felt. My mom used to say I was being dramatic. My auntie told my grandma I attempted suicide for attention. These are just the most impactful things said to me. Since my last attempt, my family has grown to be more understanding and encouraging. They are very supportive and I am now able to comfortably talk to them about how I feel. They believe me and know how hard my life may be. My mom and grandma are my best friends and Although my last attempt was traumatic for me, it has shown me that people care about me and I have a lot to live for. That is why I want to work in the mental health field, to show people that are a lot of things to live and it does get better. I used to think nothing would get better and I have proven myself wrong. I hope I can do the same for others in the future.

I plan to use my education to help my community by raising awareness. I think it is extremely important to raise awareness because mental health is highly stigmatized on reservations. I want to raise awareness so people can know about the negative effects mental health can have in a community. Many people don't want to talk about mental health, suicide, and depression because they think that talking about it will make it happen. I have previously talked about how suicide and depression can affect a reservation. I try my best to raise awareness when I can because I have depression. I have been told that it isn't real, I don't have it, I'm too young to have depression and more. I was told all of this by my own family even though they knew people who have lost their life to suicide. I want people to know that they aren't alone when it comes to having depression. I know that different programs in Winnebago help the community but by raising awareness, we may also be able to help surrounding reservations and create safer environments. I know that it would be extremely helpful because, to be honest, my mom and I had a hard time finding me a therapist at IHS. One of the biggest reasons is that no one would be able to answer the phone. When I did go to therapy there, I didn't feel comfortable with my therapist because she didn't want to talk about what I wanted to, she never made me feel like it was a safe environment. That is one of the reasons I want to become a child therapist. I want to be a child therapist because I want to help people with their mental health and how to overcome it. I know that I could become a child therapist and get away from the reservation like many people want to do, but I don't want to do that. I want to give back to my community and help those around me. I want to help people because it makes me feel good and I don't want anyone to feel like I did. They deserve a chance just as much as anyone else. Many people don't take indigenous people and their mental health seriously because of statistics and the stigma. My mom told me to help break the stigma and raise awareness and that's what I want to do. Indigenous people deserve the same chance that other people do. We, as a community need to talk about and stop treating it like it isn't something we should talk about. I understand that it may be a sensitive topic, but more people would feel comfortable reaching out and asking for help when they know that it is completely normal to feel the way they do. It isn't something that can be easily controlled. I understand what they go through and I want to help and show people that they aren't alone. I'll do that by starting with my community and hope to make a change.

I believe mental health is important because it can affect how a person acts or thinks. I also think mental health is extremely overlooked and pushed under the rug, especially on reservations. I have also tried to raise awareness or talk about mental health and how many people deal with mental health disorders in their everyday life. One of the reasons that I try my best to make people aware is that I have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and more. I have had depression since I was 11, and I try my best to maintain mental wellness. I do that in many different ways. Some of the things I have done that work the best for me are journaling, self-care, spending time with my friends and family, and also spending time alone. I like journaling because it helps me express my feelings without having to talk. After all, I have a hard time saying how I feel out loud. I have recently figured out that self-care is extremely helpful to me when I am feeling down because it distracts me. I enjoy spending time with my friends and family because I can be carefree and have fun without having to worry. I usually like to spend time alone because I haven't had much alone time since moving. Although I do all of these to help maintain my mental wellness, it doesn't always work. I have struggled with my depression and reaching out for help because some people didn't believe me. When I would try to reach out for help, my problems were overlooked because all I had to worry about was school. It wasn't until my last suicide attempt in May of 2021 that I would be taken seriously. After I received help from a mental health hospital, I knew that I wanted to be a psychologist or child therapist. I realized that mental health isn't talked about enough and I wanted to raise awareness. I also wanted to raise awareness of how depression and suicide can affect a community, specifically reservations. Many indigenous people have lost someone they knew to suicide. If more people raised awareness of the importance of mental health, more people would reach out for help. I also believe communities could create programs to help people who have mental health disorders. If more people talked about the importance of mental health, many people would feel comfortable talking about their mental health. The stigma of mental health wouldn't be so negative or impactful. I have talked about the importance of mental health multiple times during my junior year of high school. I know that some of my peers may feel like I talk about it too much but I know how many people are afraid to ask for help because of the backlash they may receive. I used to have someone in my class who would constantly say depression wasn't real because they didn't know what it was. My family has also made me feel like suicide is selfish and depression isn't as serious as it is. After finding out suicide isn't selfish and depression is very serious, I wanted to talk about how serious both topics are. I also wanted to talk about different mental health disorders and their symptoms. I have given speeches on the topic of mental health stigma. I have also helped my mom learn the importance of mental health and she is now someone I feel comfortable talking to and asking for help.