Two weeks before graduating with my Associate's degree in 2020 I received a call from my father that my brother lost his battle with substance abuse from an overdose. He was 29 and I was 23. We really only had our childhood of memories as our adulthood was just beginning. He left behind a 7 year old son and 5 year old daughter at the time of his passing. I never knew just how much grief can be disguised as anger until I lost him. I was mad that I wasn't there to save him and that his son was there the night he died. I'm the one who had to call my mom and tell her that he passed away because my parents don't speak to each other. It was one of the most difficult nights of my life. The day of my brother's funeral haunted me for around 2 years. I have never touched a dead body until I had one last chance to give him a hug prior to the closing of his casket. It was also the only day in my life that I saw my parents hug each other. If there were such thing as a perfect world, our parents would pass away before us. Unfortunately the world does not work that way. I'm the only one in my family that has attended grief therapy. The only way that I could find to get through this was talking about it to the point that it didn't hurt as bad. I had to make myself tired of talking about it by attending both personal counseling and group grief counseling. For the first year after his passing, I journaled every time it marked another month without him. All of the firsts were difficult. The first Father's day, birthday, his kid's birthdays, and holidays. I wrote about everything he's already missed. When I transferred for my Bachelor's degree in Psychology, a lot of what I learned through the program also helped me personally. My last semester of undergraduate studies in the Fall of 2023 I completed my senior capstone by attending an Advanced Topic Seminar on Positive Psychology. I learned how much of an impact our mental and physical health have on each other. I also learned a lot of mindfulness techniques that I now practice daily. As I was finishing my last semester of undergraduate studies in Psychology, I realized that I want to work in the university system. I have recently been accepted for my Master's in Education to become an Academic Advisor to help other students reach their academic goals. My university professors had a big influence on my life helping me be successful despite the hardships I faced along the way. I felt very supported on my college campus, and as an advisor I can do the same for other students throughout their academic journey. I hope that the people I advise know that they have my support. College can be overwhelming for anyone, but I can be there to support them along the way. No one should have to feel alone while reaching their goals.

My name is Jessica Blankenship, and I am a pediatric brain tumor survivor. I survived a rare ganglioglioma tumor after an 11 hour operation when I was 4 years old thanks to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital. Due to surgery and the battle of my brain having to both develop and compensate at a young age I was quite overwhelmed while growing up. I had severe social anxiety and it impaired my ability to create social relationships throughout my childhood. Once I reached college I decided to move away and create a new life for myself. I still battle with anxiety, however I managed to make Dean's list my first semester of college, and become a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. I was never a part of a social group until then. After that I got involved with my community college's psychology club & was inducted into Psi Beta Honor Society. Just before I graduated with my Associate's degree I lost my older brother to his substance abuse battle in 2020. When I transferred for my Bachelor's degree in Psychology, I had to manage not only being a student, but also a grieving sibling. Most undergraduate students don't understand how difficult it is to lose an immediate family member at such a young age and how much of a toll it can take on your mental health. What kept me going during college was the amount of unconditional love & support I received from people I met through the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. I never connected with another survivor as a child. When I finally met people who understood my battle, I finally felt accepted. I managed to personally raise over $5,000 for brain tumor research while obtaining my Bachelor's degree at East Carolina University. The biggest learning experience I had at East Carolina University was during my final semester in the Fall of 2023. For my senior capstone in the psychology program I completed an Advanced Topic Seminar on Positive Psychology. It taught me about how our mental and physical health both impact each other and the power of mindfulness. It created a big impact and change about how I view my life. As I was finishing up my degree, I had strong appreciation for my school and realized that I wanted to make a positive impact on other student's lives. As a soon to be graduate student in the upcoming weeks, I have decided to pursue a Master's in Education to become a college level Academic Advisor. I strongly value my education and would love to support other students in their college journeys so they don't feel like they're going through it alone. I understand that college can be overwhelming, and a big changing point in life. I hope that they can come to me and know that they are supported because mental health matters!

They say "When you lose a parent, you lose your past. When you lose a child, you lose your future. When you lose a sibling, you lose both." On April 17, 2020 my brother, Danny, passed away from his battle with substance abuse. I was only 2 weeks away from graduating with my Associate's degree at that time. All I really have left of him is our childhood memories, as we were only just becoming adults in our 20's when he passed away. At the time of his passing, his son was only 7 years old, and his daughter, age 5. The hardest part about losing my brother is watching his kids grow up without him. One year after my brother passed away, my stepfather was diagnosed with cancer. I was attending East Carolina University as a full time student when I found out he had Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. At first, everything was going well with chemo, and he was briefly in remission in 2023. However, the cancer quickly came back. Between March-August of 2023 the cancer spread throughout his body, including 3 lesions in his brain. It was my first day of Fall semester at East Carolina University when he passed away, and that was my final semester before graduating with Bachelor's degree in Psychology with college honors. I am the only in my family to not only attend college, but so far graduate with an Associate's degree and a Bachelor's degree. I am now starting my Master's degree in Education- Curriculum & Instruction, with a concentration in Adult Education to become an Academic Advisor. It is one thing to handle the pressure of being a student, but it is a daily battle to live with grief while obtaining a college degree. Most students my age don't know what it is like to lose a sibling, or a stepfather who has been a big part of my life since I was 9 years old. Neither of them will physically be here while I continue to dominate my goals or reach big milestones in my life. There's three things that mean the most to me in life. Number one is my family. I want to be the one that my brother's children can look up to and know that they can be successful despite their hardships. Number two is my education. I am always eager to learn new things and furthering my education is one thing that drives me through my grief as I am a very goal-oriented person. I strongly value my education, and because of that, I want to become a College Academic Advisor to help other students reach their educational goals. I also want to hear their stories, and be there for them when they need someone who will listen. College can be overwhelming at times, and I don't want others to feel like they're alone. Number three is continuing to support the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation in efforts to find a cure for brain tumors. When I was a baby I was diagnosed with a ganglioglioma tumor in my left temporal lobe. I was told by some surgeons that I may not be able to walk, talk, or function normally after surgery. I went through an 11 hour operation at Yale when I was 4 years old. Thanks to them, not only can I walk, talk, and function fairly normally, but I've come so far! Unfortunately, less than 4% of the government's cancer research budget goes towards pediatric cancers (even less to brain tumors), and brain tumors are one of the deadliest forms of childhood cancer. Throughout college, I have personally raised over $5,000 to help raise funds to find a cure. It is very important to me that I continue to help until a cure is found. Also, I hope that someday I can create my own scholarship fund for survivors to help them reach their educational goals as well. After losing two family members, I truly understand how limited our time is. While I do make time for my grief when needed, I spend most of my time fighting for my future. I fight to be the best that I can be for my niece and nephew. I'm fighting with my mental health everyday as I obtain my Master's degree. I fight for a cure because cancer sucks! Fighting through grief may feel like mountain climbing, but when I reach the top, I'll be closer to the sun. Each day I get up and the sun is out, I think of my brother. He's the light on my dark days. Although the sun may not be out everyday, it's still there, and in my heart I know he is too.