My brother Eddie was my baby brother he was four years younger then me but sometimes I'd swear he was older with the advice he'd give me. My brother was always very outgoing and loved to make everyone laugh. It didn't matter what was going on in life he was always trying put smiles on everyone's face around him. My brother was extremely tall 7 ft 2 in.we found out later in life that he had a bone disease that made him grow abnormally tall and someday he would start to curve in his back. He seemed to know someone everywhere he went I used to joke with him that he was the most popular freshman boy I knew but he was loved. He was a huge fan of Micheal Jordon and to show what a devoted fan he was he had number 23 tattoos on his arm and only wore Jordon clothing and shoes. It was an obsession with him. He didn't end up finishing high school or going to college but he always encouraged me to follow my dreams and I remember one letter he wrote me he told me that I was an amazing mom and not let anyone take that from me and that I should go back to school and keep trying to better my life for my daughters. I still have that letter saved in my photo album to this day.He was a wonderful uncle who made sure to come see his nieces all the time. Hed show up with treats and surprises and he was especially fond of the twins.They would get so excited to see him as toddlers.My brother had this amazing energy and love for life that radiated off of him and you could t help but see it. He was only 27 when he got in a bad car wreck were his car flipped over and he died.my family was devastated by his loss and has never been the same. I don't think things will ever be the same.

I'm currently in my second year of the addiction study program and will be going on to get my B.A. in social work. I decided to return to school after quitting at the age of 14. I've had many adversity to overcome in life,becoming a teen part at 16, battling an opiate addiction which I am happy to say it's been 4 yrs. Now since I've actively used.I over ame homelessness after 7 years of living in a tent. And am working with a therapist who specializes in trauma therapy to work through my underlining problems from incidents in earlier life. Through it all I have dealt with multiple mental health issues like bipolar disease,anxiety,panic disorder, and depression however with treatment and a lot of hard work I'm not in a position where I'll have the opportunity to give back to my community and help others showing them that with persistent,passion,hard work, but most of all hope and a wonderful positive support team anything is attainable.Because if the adversities I've faced in my life it inspired me to want to go into a field were I can relate with lived experience and hopefully show through example that a better life is possible. Addiction has been a part of my life from an early age. Many people I love and care deeply for have been affected by or are actively still in addiction and my biggest hope is that by seeing me make these changes they will see that they can do do it to. If I'm able to inspire just one person to begin to better their situation then I couldn't ask for anything more.I am now the proud mom of four very wonderful daughters who I hope to show that woman can be strong, independent, self sufficient, and strong minded individuals. I would like them to look at the world and see a place full of dreams,possibility and hopes. By going to college I believe I am in part already doing this because I am the first person ever to go to college in the history of my family .So it's very important to me that I do it and to the best of my ability.I not only want them to be proud but am trying to pave the way for them in the future. I would benefit greatly from this scholarship because I only work part time and am able to go at this point due to financial aid. I am trying to avoid student loans so with my academic honors and my positive regarding I'm reaching out to available scholarships in an attempt to get any additional help possible. This would help with tuition,books,supply's.

I have a long-term plan and a short-term plan that I hope to achieve. In the short run, my goal is to become a peer mentor and work with young children or adolescents who suffer from substance abuse and or mental health issues that are struggling with homelessness or other barriers as well as other obstacles in life and need positive support to help reach obtainable goals in their life and need the support of a mentor to stay on the right path to continue making positive choice in life in general. Also work with young adults who also have lived experience with homelessness, substance abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse and violence, etc, and help them to reach out to the community and not only raise funds t help those fleeing from these types of abuse but in promoting awareness and prevention as well as the signs of abuse and how to recognize the red flags as well. I believe being a peer mentor and or advocate for them can make a powerful impact that is significant as well as meaningful. Being a voice of reason in the sea of chaos can be a challenge at times but a breathtaking flight to a sightful destination beyond one's wildest imagination so to speak. I believe the power of inspiration is beyond all comparison and by far the master of all keys internal and external alike. My long-term goal is a bit more complex it's the accumulation of a few different goals intertwined into one end goal. I would like to have a group of mentors all working together that provide a multitude of services ranging from medical services to mental health, to medical to substance abuse to case management to just peer mentoring if that's what's needed kind of like the real team except I would like to have been able to offer them long term support and housing as well as the resources with help with providing placement of children being reunited and or foster placement, adopting, also I would like to be able to help women and men who have struggled with substance abuse specifically and domestic abuse and help reunite their families and give the support needed to help establish healthy lifestyle choices so there able to get to point were they can get back on their feet, in a home, working a job, going to school, caring for a child, volunteering, etc I have my own lived experience with this so it's a personal passion of mine and it makes it a little more importsnt and it holds a special place in my heart because of that so I feel very strongly when it comes to situations or people involved in these things or what not. I hope to help someone the way I was given help and give hope the way I was given hope back so I was able to live again and love again. I only hope to pass along this gift and to share it also.

After living in a world completely amuse the world of substance abuse and negative actions and behaviors I believe my lived experience gives me a unique perspective that many can relate with and helps me to truly identify with people who struggle with mental health and addiction. By the age 25 I was diagnosed with PTSD, panic disorder, moderate to severe anxiety, OCPD, depression, manic bi-polar, and substance abuse disorder. I spent the next 8 years battling demons I could never imagine existed and was on the darkest path possible in life. My will to live was gone and my hope as well. I lost everything of value and importance in my life being fully admits the chronic drug cycle. I was lucky enough that some very amazing peer counselors from Peninsula Mental Health stayed by my side fighting for me when I was done. They pushed me and loved me until I was ready to do it for myself. They never gave up on me and were a huge positive supportive entity in my life. They literally saved my mind and my life. They helped me go to inpatient treatment and begin the healing cycle for myself and my loved ones. The journey has been a long battle, hard at times, dramatically changing, and life altering however more then worth it. Also beyond satisfying and always hopeful. All of this in my life has ignited a passion in me to help others in making a positive and lasting impact on others lives and in the world. I would love to give another person the hope and support I was given so they can see there is a brighter future and it’s attainable with life changes, persistence, and perseverance. I’m a walking example of someone who’s been to the depths of hell and back and has had the courage needed to transform their life and begin a new positive path that’s beyond rewarding. If I can give this to someone else just one person my goal will be achieved and it would all be more then worth it. I’m in my fourth quarter as an undergraduate in the addiction study’s program which I’ll be getting my A.A positively and possibly going on to get my B.A. in as well. I’ve found a love for learning and passion for helping others that gives a truly meaning balance and existence in life. The gratitude I have to everyone who helped me get to we’re I’m at and pushed me to break the cycle of addiction are hero’s now in my life. I hope to inspire others as I have been in changing our world for the greater by helping one person at a time.

As a child who grew up amidst addiction and then turned to substance abuse myself experiencing all the trials and tribulations, I have experienced helped shape who I am today. I went through so many different struggles from sexual abuse to physical abuse and mental health issues that by the time I was 25 I had a diagnosis of substance abuse, PTSD, panic disorder, manic bipolar, OCD, and emotional issues as well. For a long time, I used self-medication and self-destructive behaviors to try and cope with living life day to day. I went down a very dark and difficult path that it's taken many years to begin to come back up. I had no want for life or desire to be all I wanted was to not exist and attempted to make it through each day. After 6 years in addictive opiate addiction, I decided to try something new the harm reduction program and that was the begging of a journey to a better life. I decided I could try to make the positive changes that would bring fulfillment and joy into my life. I started out reading self-help books and getting mental health services on an almost daily basis. I slowly began coming out of psychosis and began to learn how to live again. I began to find joy again in the little things in life that most people don't see like the beauty in the sun and the relaxation of the calming waves. The beautiful flowers littered the ground. The amazing scenery in the back road forest. I realized I needed more support and tools in life and went to a dual diagnosis treatment center where I spent the next thirty days focusing on myself. By the time I left, I felt as if I had a new lease on life and was the happiest I could ever remember being. The next few months I decided to attack the amazing feet of going to college. I also was working full time but the best part of my life I was finally able to help provide for my children in a way I'd been unable to for most of their lives. I began to build a stronger more beautiful close relationship with my children. I slowly made it a point to be in their lives daily and try to be a better mom. I began to get to do all the little things I had only dreamt of doing. I was being a part of their lives and getting to be a mom. None of these things would have been possible had I not gotten help and had a SUDP that cared enough about me or a peer counselor that cared deeply enough to not give up on me when I couldn't believe in myself. They helped me start my journey and I hope to help others and give that same hope and breath of life to someone else if possible. Take all my lived experience and share it in a way where I could not only help make the world a better place but help make a lasting positive impact and contribution.

Growing up in a small town greatly affected by addiction and mental health issues. I've had personal issues myself that greatly affected my life. I spent years self-medicating before I decided to turn to mental health therapy as well as personal wellness and a holistic approach. It was only with the caring dedicated professionals that helped me through one of the roughest phases of my life and to this day continue to. I was able to drastically change my life and redirect a lot of negative behaviors and actions by learning through therapy and other therapy models and books how to make changes in my life. I was fortunate enough to be given another chance to live life and experience it with a humbled perspective and a renewed sense of gratitude. It has become my passion to work with others and try to make a lasting impact on others' lives. If using my personal experience can help then that's a bonus. I hope to get an education and be the first one in my family to get a degree and build a lasting career where I can help others and help change the world one action at a time. If I only help one person reach their potential and find their true self then I have achieved my goal. I have seen what it does when mental health and or addiction are dismissed and the person is not treated as if they matter as an individual. I've seen the devasting effect that can have on a person's life and I want to help change that stigma and be a positive voice of support and reason who fights for the well-being of every person whose been lost in the hustle and Bussell of daily life or is overlooked because of money issues or poor insurance. The ones who need the support and resources the most yet are left behind. My goal is to help bridge that gap. I have already begun my schooling and am three-quarters into it and I can honestly say that I feel I have the experience and real-life experience to help make changes for the greater good with my positive perspective and my skill of seeing the good in most of life's situations. I tend to see the good in most things in life and am very glad that I have been able to see the world in the light I always have and see the softer good in people and their potential. This will help me greatly in therapy modeling and skills.