I am an unconventional applicant for this scholarship. While I have an undergraduate degree in communications, I have spent the past four years working as a police officer. I graduated as the top recruit in my academy class and have gone on to be certified to teach DARE, so I am in the schools regularly. I am often pleasantly surprised when young members of our community seek me out to say hello as I am going about my work day. During the course of these past few years I have interacted with more people than I can count who are in mental health crisis. I remind people frequently that I never see people on a good day. These community members call 911 because they themselves or a loved one are experiencing an acute pain that they do not know how to soothe. Most cops have no idea how to help either. We just do our best to get them in the patrol car or ambulance and get them to a higher level of care. Sometimes, these people are my coworkers. People I work with have missed days of work, been hospitalized for panic attacks, and have seen their personal relationships fall apart. Policing has a high divorce rate and the life expectancy for police officers in the US is 66 years old, ten years shorter than the average. There is a need for mental health care for first responders that is going unmet. The most fulfilling part of my day is when my coworkers come to me for support. We often meet in a parking lot and "door up". It is in these moments that I am honored with their trust to lay bare their insecurities and stressors. I know the exact moment that I knew that mental health care was my true calling. An officer was expressing his concerns to me that his girlfriend might cheat on him. It was causing him significant stress and he was so fixated on it that it was having an impact on his daily wellbeing. I listened to him and told him that, what he needed to find solace in was not that his girlfriend would never cheat on him, but that he would be okay if she did. He needed to know that he would be okay. I saw him accept this and he relaxed. His shoulders dropped and his eyebrows became unclenched. This brief conversation was by far one of the most satisfying moments of my law enforcement career, and it had absolutely nothing to do with being a cop. Policing is great, but mental health care is my true passion. I made the decision to return to school for my masters in mental health counseling to apply all of my skills and natural talents to this lifesaving field. In the description for this scholarship, it is noted that these funds are intended for people who have been affected by family members who are/were severely mentally ill. I'd like to think that people with whom we spend most of our waking hours become family after enough time has passed. If given this award, I will do everything I can to honor Daniel's memory by being the best mental health care provider I can be, and being the loudest advocate for the people that often get forgotten. Thank you for taking the time to consider my application for this scholarship.