My name is Micah Jeansonne, and I’m a caregiver for my dad, Brian, who was diagnosed with ALS five years ago. ALS is a disease that slowly takes away the ability to move, speak, eat, and breathe. Today, my dad needs full-time care—he uses a feeding tube and a ventilator, and he communicates using eye-tracking technology. As you can imagine, life in our house looks very different than it used to. Caregiving is a team effort in our family. I help however I can—whether that’s suctioning his trach, adjusting his vent settings, transferring him with a lift, or just hanging out and making him laugh. A lot of my time goes into the little things: refilling supplies, troubleshooting his communication device, or making sure he’s comfortable throughout the day. I’m also often helping my younger siblings or giving my mom a break when she needs it. I’ve learned more about medical care than I ever expected at this age, but I’ve also learned a lot about love, resilience, and how to show up for the people who matter most. This experience has shaped me in so many ways. Before all of this, I knew I wanted to be an artist. I still do—but now that dream carries a lot more purpose. Watching my dad continue to write, create, and make people laugh, even though he can’t move or speak, has changed the way I think about art. I’ve seen how powerful stories can be, especially when they come from hard places. I want to use my art—especially comics and animation—to tell meaningful stories that reflect real life, including stories about people with disabilities or families like mine. Caregiving has made me more patient, more grounded, and more motivated. It’s also shown me how important accessibility and representation are, especially in creative fields. I’ve learned to work hard, manage my time, and keep going even when things are overwhelming. And I’ve learned that sometimes just being there—staying present—is the most important thing you can do. This scholarship would be a huge help for me. Balancing school and caregiving isn’t easy. There are a lot of times I’ve had to pass on things because my family needed me. It’s been worth it, but it also means college and career stuff comes with extra challenges. This support would allow me to keep pursuing art and animation without putting more pressure on my family. It would give me more space to grow and explore what’s possible—not just for me, but for the kind of work I want to create in the world. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and consider my application. Caregiving has taught me a lot—but most of all, it’s made me more committed to creating something meaningful with what I’ve been given.

I have always been a fan of the superhero genre but when we moved into the city it took over my lifestyle. Reading about Batman and Superman and learning about them inspired me to create my own character. Two months into the pandemic I created my superhero, Sir Orlean and the impact he had on me was greater than I thought possible. Two weeks into the pandemic, my dad was diagnosed with ALS. I am the oldest of 5 kids and my parents have been married for 20 years. The ALS diagnosis was very hard on me. I felt like I had to be the older brother, who held it together and did whatever my little siblings needed. I had to be strong for my mom. Stuck at home and trying to figure out my own grief I was able to create a character where I could express my feelings. When my dad started to fall due to ALS, I would be so upset that I could not catch him in time. My mom taught me that if we can’t catch him, we still need to be there to pick him up. This is where my character, Sir Orlean came in. Sir always gets there on time. Like me, Sir likes to help people, so during my hard times of grief, I was able to create Sir Orlean's story. The last 3 years I have been able to create and self-publish my first comic book funding it through kick starter. I raised $5K and sold over 100 copies. My art is my passion and I will continue evolving Sir Orlean. Once the pandemic restrictions started to lift, I was able to start working and could pay for my own car insurance and gas. Our family of 7 now lives on a fixed income. Money is tight and we have to raise funds for my dad’s care. My mom has been the sole caregiver up until the tracheotomy in November 2022. We now have some part-time caregivers, including myself. Starting college in the fall, I decided to stay local because I don't want to miss any opportunities with my dad. However, I would love to live on campus if I receive funding. I decided to major in Business with a focus on marketing. This will give me opportunities in a lot of different avenues, whether it be continuing to publish comic books, creating characters for others, digital art and so much more.