Fentanyl and drug addiction have deeply impacted my life and my family in ways that cannot be separated from who I am today. Both of my parents died from addiction. Losing them at a young age shaped my understanding of how powerful, destructive, and misunderstood substance use disorder can be. At eighteen years old, I tried pain pills for the first time. What started as curiosity and a way to escape quickly turned into addiction, and eventually fentanyl. My life became a cycle of survival, homelessness, incarceration, and instability, and I felt completely disconnected from any sense of worth or future. Addiction stripped away everything I thought defined me. It isolated me from support systems and convinced me that change wasn’t possible. The hardest part wasn’t the physical withdrawal, but the belief that I was too broken to matter. There were times I didn’t think I’d make it. That belief is something I see reflected in so many people who are still actively using today. Addiction doesn’t only affect the individual; it devastates families, children, and entire communities, often leaving behind grief, stigma, and unanswered questions. Everything changed when I became pregnant. For the first time, I saw a future that didn’t revolve around survival, but responsibility and love. I knew I wanted something different for my child than what I had known growing up. Recovery wasn’t instant or easy, but it was real. Today, I am a full-time single mother and a Criminal Justice student with a 4.0 GPA, committed to building a stable, honest life for my son and myself. I don’t claim to have a single solution to the fentanyl crisis. What I do know is that empathy saves lives. Loving people who don’t yet love themselves can be the difference between someone giving up and someone trying again. My lived experience allows me to see addiction through a human lens rather than a purely punitive one. I understand both accountability and compassion, and I believe effective criminal justice work must include both. Through my Criminal Justice degree, I am working toward being on the front lines of change, whether through advocacy, investigative work, or reform focused roles that address addiction as both a public safety and public health issue. I want to be someone who bridges the gap between policy and people, especially those who feel invisible or written off. I want individuals in active addiction to see that recovery is possible because someone like them is standing in front of them as proof that change can happen. This scholarship wouldn’t only support my education; it would support a future where lived experience is used to protect others, strengthen communities, and prevent more families from losing parents, children, and hope to fentanyl. I am determined to turn my past into purpose and be part of a solution that saves lives.

I was born to two parents who struggled with addiction, and both of them ultimately lost their lives to it. Substance abuse was present in my life long before I had the ability to understand its consequences. Growing up in that environment shaped my early understanding of stability, relationships, and survival. Unfortunately, it also made it easier for me to fall into the same patterns later in life. For ten years, I was addicted to heroin and fentanyl. During that time, I experienced homelessness and spent periods in and out of jail. My life was going in the same direction my parents did. I lived in survival mode, focused only on getting through the day. I had no long-term vision for my life and very little belief that I could break free from the cycle I had inherited. Addiction stripped away my sense of self, my stability, and my hope for something better. Everything changed when I had my son. That moment forced me to confront the reality of my past and the future I was creating. I realized that if I did not make a change, my son would grow up surrounded by the same instability and loss that defined my childhood. The moment he was born and I looked into his eyes for the first time I knew I wanted something different for him. I wanted him to have a present, reliable parent and a life not shaped by addiction. That realization became the turning point that pushed me toward sobriety. Getting sober was not easy, and it was not immediate. It required honesty, accountability, and learning how to face life without escaping from it. Becoming a mother gave me the motivation to change, but staying sober has been about maintaining the life I worked hard to rebuild. I chose stability, responsibility, and consistency not just for my son, but for myself. Returning to school became part of that commitment. I am currently pursuing an associate degree in Criminal Justice and have earned a 4.0 GPA. My academic success reflects the discipline and focus I gained through recovery. My experiences have also shaped how I view the criminal justice system, particularly the intersection between addiction, accountability, and rehabilitation. My past does not define me, but it has given me clarity, resilience, and purpose. Through education, I am breaking generational cycles and building a future that looks very different from the one I was born into.