Dear Mr. Bozworth, My name is Madelaine Landeros, and I was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder at the age of 16. Unfortunately, people with mental illnesses have a higher predisposition to addiction, and I was no exception. I believe I fell into alcoholism instead of other drugs due to its accessibility and social acceptance. Because of that, what recovery means to me is accepting that you have a problem and being proactive in finding its root cause. It also means using my own experiences and hardships to help others find their own path to recovery and a more fulfilling life. Post-recovery, I now have the privilege of working with multiple non-profit organizations that focus on issues such as addiction, mental health, and domestic violence. Some of my volunteer work and achievements since recovery are listed below. * BPNC: I frequently give financial literacy workshops tailored specifically to people re-starting their lives after addiction recovery. * Community Innovation Center: Back to school drive, food drive, and assisting the residents of Gary, IN during the recent power outage. * Midway Delivery Program: Co-founded the Midway Delivery Program in October 2025. This was a volunteer-driven program where we provided vulnerable community members with free grocery deliveries and ran errands such as medication pick-up. I would like to end this essay by sincerely thanking you for the opportunity to apply for this scholarship. I deeply appreciate your consideration and time. All the best, Madelaine Landeros Undergraduate student - Southern New Hampshire University

Dear Ms. Nicole Slaughter, My name is Madelaine Landeros, and I was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder at the age of 16. Unfortunately, people with mental illnesses have a higher disposition to addiction, and I was no exception. My drug of choice was alcohol, and I believe I fell into alcoholism instead of other drugs due to its accessibility and social acceptance. The best way to describe myself during my battle with alcoholism is "functional alcoholic." I still went to work, took care of my home and my family, and followed my usual routines; however, I was always, at the very least, tipsy. On the outside, people saw a successful adult with a steady job and a loving family. On the inside, I was completely falling apart both physically and mentally. Physically, not only had I gained an obscene amount of weight, but I was also anemic, suffering from malnutrition, dehydrated, and my labs showed a very fatty liver. Mentally, I started to experience a lot more manic and depressive episodes because the volume of alcohol I was consuming was interfering with my daily medications. The combination of bipolar disorder and alcoholism is something that, in hindsight, would've killed me if I'd kept going down that path. A reckless manic episode is only amplified by alcohol, and I'm not proud to say that I engaged in behaviors that were dangerous not only for myself but for others as well. One of these behaviors was driving under the influence, oftentimes overnight and across state lines from Chicago to Indiana. During one of these overnight trips, when I almost hit the guardrails on the highway, I decided to make a change. It's been a year since I decided to become sober. I can't deny it's been extremely hard, but it gets easier day by day. I have developed self-control to the point where even in social settings, which were the times when I drank the most and oftentimes blacked out, I can now say no or limit my intake to just one drink. Because of the hardships I experienced both during alcoholism and after recovery, I decided to go back to school to make a career change from finance to more community and government-focused work. I have the immense privilege of working with multiple non-profit organizations that focus on issues such as mental health and addiction, social justice, and domestic violence. Some of my volunteer work and notable achievements since recovery are listed below. Volunteer: * SANAD Food Pantry: Weekly food distribution to vulnerable community members on Fridays. * Community Innovation Center: Back to school backpack drive, food drive and distribution, and teaming up with a church in Gary, IN to assist with providing supplies and food to members of the community during the recent prolonged power outage. * BPNC: I frequently give financial literacy workshops tailored specifically to people re-starting their lives after recovery. Achievements: * Midway Delivery Program: Co-founded the Midway Delivery Program in October 2025. This was a volunteer-driven program where we provided vulnerable community members with free grocery deliveries and ran errands such as medication pick-up. * Burroughs Elementary PTO - Secretary: Co-founded the Burroughs Elementary PTO where I currently serve as secretary. I would like to end this essay by sincerely thanking you not only for the opportunity to apply for this scholarship, but for the opportunity to share my story. I deeply appreciate your consideration and time. All the best, Madelaine Landeros Undergraduate student - Southern New Hampshire University

Dear Mr. Schalk, My name is Madelaine Landeros, and I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 disorder in 2011 at the age of 16. This essay will be about my experience navigating the mental health system as a young adult with limited support, as well as the impact Bipolar 2 has had throughout my life. Coming from a low-income immigrant family where mental health wasn't acknowledged, I had to rely on my own self-awareness to receive the help I knew I needed. Fortunately, I had a school counselor who was willing to help me navigate the mental health system. She provided me with therapy in her office once a week while I was on a wait list for outpatient therapy. She also provided me with hospital names and other resources to reach out to should I feel unsafe outside of school hours. I have been hospitalized six times throughout my life, four times as a teen and twice as an adult. My first hospitalization was at Lakeshore Hospital in Chicago, which has since closed. The following three hospitalizations were at Hartgrove Hospital, where I did the partial day program. As an adult, I've been hospitalized at St. Anthony Hospital and Streamwood Behavioral Facility. All of my hospitalizations were due to self-harm and suicidal thoughts. I have gone through various medications; it took years to find the combination that works for me. Currently, I take Lexapro, Lamotrigine, Vyvanse, and Bupropion. Being put on these medications has changed my life in the best ways, one of which is returning to school to finish my degree. I’ve struggled with executive dysfunction my whole life and have finally been able to hold a job after being properly medicated. As difficult as life with Bipolar 2 has been, there's a little piece of me that's, in an odd sort of way, grateful for it. One of my children is AuDHD, and I truly believe that my own experiences with mental health and the process that comes with it have helped me be a better mother to him. He was diagnosed at the age of 7; he was put into therapy within 2 months of being diagnosed, and he sees a psychiatrist monthly for medication management. Additionally, he has a 504 and extensive support for emotional regulation at school. I don’t think I would’ve been able to get him the help he deserves so quickly had I not already known how to navigate the mental health system and facilities. While Bipolar Disorder is a part of me, I haven’t let it define me. On the contrary, I’ve used it as an example to help others through volunteer work with multiple community organizations. My goal is to someday open a non-profit that emphasizes mental health, especially in a minority populated community in Chicago’s South Side, which is lacking in resources. Thank you for your consideration. Whether I receive this scholarship or not, I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to tell my story and explain how it has impacted various parts of my life, including motherhood. All the best, Madelaine Landeros

Dear Sheehan, My name is Madelaine Landeros, and I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 disorder in 2011 at the age of 16. This essay will be about my experience navigating the mental health system as a young adult with limited support, as well as the impact Bipolar 2 has had throughout my life. Coming from a low-income immigrant family where mental health wasn't acknowledged, I had to rely on my own self-awareness to receive the help I knew I needed. Fortunately, I had a school counselor who was willing to help me navigate the mental health system. She provided me with therapy in her office once a week while I was on a wait list for outpatient therapy. She also provided me with hospital names and other resources to reach out to should I feel unsafe outside of school hours. I have been hospitalized six times throughout my life, four times as a teen and twice as an adult. My first hospitalization was at Lakeshore Hospital in Chicago, which has since closed. The following three hospitalizations were at Hartgrove Hospital, where I did the partial day program. As an adult, I've been hospitalized at St. Anthony Hospital and Streamwood Behavioral Facility. All of my hospitalizations were due to self-harm and suicidal thoughts. I have gone through various medications; it took years to find the combination that works for me. Currently, I take Lexapro, Lamotrigine, Vyvanse, and Bupropion. Being put on these medications has changed my life in the best ways, one of which is returning to school to finish my degree. I’ve struggled with executive dysfunction my whole life and have finally been able to hold a job after being properly medicated. As difficult as life with Bipolar 2 has been, there's a little piece of me that's, in an odd sort of way, grateful for it. One of my children is AuDHD, and I truly believe that my own experiences with mental health and the process that comes with it have helped me be a better mother to him. He was diagnosed at the age of 7; he was put into therapy within 2 months of being diagnosed, and he sees a psychiatrist monthly for medication management. Additionally, he has a 504 and extensive support for emotional regulation at school. I don’t think I would’ve been able to get him the help he deserves so quickly had I not already known how to navigate the mental health system and facilities. While Bipolar Disorder is a part of me, I haven’t let it define me. On the contrary, I’ve used it as an example to help others through volunteer work with multiple community organizations. My goal is to someday open a non-profit that emphasizes mental health, especially in a minority populated community in Chicago’s South Side, which is lacking in resources. Thank you for your consideration. Whether I receive this scholarship or not, I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to tell my story and explain how it has impacted various parts of my life, including motherhood. All the best, Madelaine Landeros

Dear Dr. Hayes, My name is Madelaine Landeros, and I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 disorder in 2011 at the age of 16. Coming from a low-income immigrant family where mental health wasn't acknowledged, I had to rely on my own self-awareness to receive the help I knew I needed. Fortunately, I had a school counselor who was willing to help me navigate the mental health system. She provided me with therapy in her office once a week while I was on a wait list for outpatient therapy. She also provided me with hospital names and other resources to reach out to should I feel unsafe outside of school hours. I have been hospitalized six times throughout my life, four times as a teen and twice as an adult. My first hospitalization was at Lakeshore Hospital in Chicago, which has since closed. The following three hospitalizations were at Hartgrove Hospital, where I did the partial day program. As an adult, I've been hospitalized at St. Anthony Hospital and Streamwood Behavioral Facility. All of my hospitalizations were due to self-harm and suicidal thoughts. I have gone through various medications; it took years to find the combination that works for me. Currently, I take Lexapro, Lamotrigine, Vyvanse, and Bupropion. Being put on these medications has changed my life in the best ways, one of which is returning to school to finish my degree. I’ve struggled with executive dysfunction my whole life and have finally been able to hold a job after being properly medicated. As difficult as life with Bipolar 2 has been, there's a little piece of me that's, in an odd sort of way, grateful for it. One of my children is AuDHD, and I truly believe that my own experiences with mental health and the process that comes with it have helped me be a better mother to him. He was diagnosed at the age of 7; he was put into therapy within 2 months of being diagnosed, and he sees a psychiatrist monthly for medication management. Additionally, he has a 504 and extensive support for emotional regulation at school. I don’t think I would’ve been able to get him the help he deserves so quickly had I not already known how to navigate the mental health system and facilities. While Bipolar Disorder is a part of me, I haven’t let it define me. On the contrary, I’ve used it as an example to help others through volunteer work with multiple community organizations. My goal is to someday open a non-profit that emphasizes mental health, especially in a minority populated community in Chicago’s South Side, which is lacking in resources. Thank you for your consideration. Whether I receive this scholarship or not, I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to tell my story and explain how it has impacted various parts of my life, including motherhood. All the best, Madelaine Landeros

My mom became a single parent when I was four years old and we first moved to Chicago from Panama. She was an inspiration to me as she has worked hard and dedicated her life to providing for me while putting herself on the back burner, something I hope to repay her for someday. I don't believe it was easy for her to leave her home and family just to offer me a better life and yet she did. She loved and cared for me enough to make that change and give me my best chance. The best part of all? She did just that. I did have the life she wanted me to have. I went to good schools, had plenty to eat, played many sports, and made incredible friends. She always wanted to be a nurse and I seem to have inherited that from her though I aspire to go one step further and become a PMHNP-DNP. Mental health is extremely important to me as I'm someone who has battled ADHD and Bipolar disorder and become successful despite it. I've taken my time seeking treatment and therapy to ensure I am the best version of myself. My mother's perseverance helped me choose the path of seeking treatment and bettering myself. Though mental health is still extremely misunderstood in Latino culture, I strive to be half the person she is and thus push myself to do better every day. Making her proud is one of my personal goals in life. I want her sacrifices to mean something. As a mother now myself, I take her teachings and sacrifices even more to heart. I hope that I'm raising my children as well as she raised me. I hope that my children see that although I may not be perfect, I do everything I can to make them happy just as she did. She gave up many of her dreams, such as nursing, to provide for her and me just as I've given up many things to give my children many of the things I had. She not only gave me my best chance by coming here, she gave the same to my children. Seeing my mother struggle has made it evident to me that my passion and calling in life is simply to help humanity. I have extreme empathy for people and hope that a career in nursing - MHPNP will allow me to help. I specifically aim to help the underserved Hispanic/Latino community as there is an extreme shortage of qualified bilingual mental health providers. I hope to offer people the same chance my mother and many others have given me. Everyone deserves a second chance at life.

My name is Madelaine Landeros and I've been working in the finance and accounting field since my high school graduation in 2013. I am a first-time college student from a minority family, so to say finances have hindered my education is an understatement. I've attempted to finish my degree in the past but due to financial strains and a growing family, it hasn't been possible for me to finish. Today I am an Office Manager and AR specialist for a company called Mobile Auto Solutions. While I love my job, I know that I am capable of doing much more. My goal is to get a bachelor's in accounting as well as an MBA in the future. This will enable me to get my CPA license and open up the business I've had in mind for years. Within this business, I hope to incorporate free workshops on financial literacy and provide financial resources tailored to my underrepresented Latino community. While my city of Chicago is very welcoming to immigrants, it isn't a secret that minority groups still lack many resources. A lot of the Latino community lives paycheck to paycheck, have no savings, live in the more rundown areas of the city, and have to enroll their children in the more underfunded schools. It is extremely important to me that I'm able to provide some sort of assistance in the form of helping people balance their finances and learn strategies that can create some sort of generational wealth cushion. Some people make it out of the loop of poverty but the reality is that resources are needed for most to stand a chance. I have 3 children who I'm raising to express kindness and empathy for others. To give to those who don't have much because while we're not rich, I acknowledge that my husband and I can provide them a rather privileged life compared to many others. It is my goal to be a role model to my children not only through my accomplishments but through teaching that helping others is the best way to live a fulfilling life. I thoroughly believe that when everyone is given the resources they need, we all win together. This scholarship will help me reach my goals because it will provide me with the monetary assistance I need to help complete my degree. As much work experience as I have in the field, I am unable to continue to pursue further certifications due to a lack of a bachelor's degree. A CPA license alone requires a bachelor's degree and, I'm told, even a master's degree in some states. I hope the above properly outlines my goals and ambitions. Thank you for your time, -Madelaine Landeros

My name is Madelaine Landeros and I've been working in the finance and accounting field since my high school graduation in 2013. I am a first-time college student from a minority family, so to say finances have hindered my education is an understatement. I've attempted to finish my degree in the past but due to financial strains and a growing family, it hasn't been possible for me to finish. Today I am an Office Manager and AR specialist for a company called Mobile Auto Solutions. While I love my job, I know that I am capable of doing much more. My goal is to get a bachelor's in accounting as well as an MBA in the future. This will enable me to get my CPA license and open up the business I've had in mind for years. Within this business, I hope to incorporate free workshops on financial literacy and provide financial resources tailored to my underrepresented Latino community. While my city of Chicago is very welcoming to immigrants, it isn't a secret that minority groups still lack many resources. A lot of the Latino community lives paycheck to paycheck, have no savings, live in the more rundown areas of the city, and have to enroll their children in the more underfunded schools. It is extremely important to me that I'm able to provide some sort of assistance in the form of helping people balance their finances and learn strategies that can create some sort of generational wealth cushion. Some people make it out of the loop of poverty but the reality is that resources are needed for most to stand a chance. I have 3 children who I'm raising to express kindness and empathy for others. To give to those who don't have much because while we're not rich, I acknowledge that my husband and I can provide them a rather privileged life compared to many others. It is my goal to be a role model to my children not only through my accomplishments but through teaching that helping others is the best way to live a fulfilling life. I thoroughly believe that when everyone is given the resources they need, we all win together. This scholarship will help me reach my goals because it will provide me with the monetary assistance I need to help complete my degree. As much work experience as I have in the field, I am unable to continue to pursue further certifications due to a lack of a bachelor's degree. A CPA license alone requires a bachelor's degree and, I'm told, even a master's degree in some states. I hope the above properly outlines my goals and ambitions. Thank you for your time, -Madelaine Landeros

My name is Madelaine Landeros and I've been working in the finance and accounting field since my high school graduation in 2013. I am a first-time college student from a minority family, so to say finances have hindered my education is an understatement. I've attempted to finish my degree in the past but due to financial strains and a growing family, it hasn't been possible for me to finish. Today I am an Office Manager and AR specialist for a company called Mobile Auto Solutions. While I love my job, I know I am capable of doing much more. My goal is to get a bachelor's in accounting as well as an MBA in the future. This will enable me to get my CPA license and open up the business I've had in mind for years. Within this business, I hope to incorporate free workshops on financial literacy and provide financial resources tailored to my underrepresented Latino community. While my city of Chicago is very welcoming to immigrants, it isn't a secret that minority groups still lack many resources. A lot of the Latino community lives paycheck to paycheck, have no savings, live in the more rundown areas of the city, and have to enroll their children in the more underfunded schools. It is extremely important to me that I'm able to provide some sort of assistance in the form of helping people balance their finances and learn strategies that can create some sort of generational wealth cushion. Some people make it out of the loop of poverty but the reality is that resources are needed for most to stand a chance. I have 3 children who I'm raising to express kindness and empathy for others. To give who those who don't have much because while we're not rich, I acknowledge that my husband and I can provide them a rather privileged life compared to many others. It is my goal to be a role model to my children not only through my accomplishments but through teaching that helping others is the best way to live a fulfilling life. I thoroughly believe that when everyone is given the resources they need, we all win together. This scholarship will help me reach my goals because it will provide me with the monetary assistance I need to help complete my degree. As much work experience as I have in the field, I am unable to continue to pursue further certifications due to a lack of a bachelor's degree. A CPA license alone requires a bachelor's degree and, I'm told, even a master's degree in some states. I hope the above properly outlines my goals and ambitions. Thank you for your time, -Madelaine Landeros