I was a medic in the National Guard for eight years. I have seen firsthand other service members who struggle with their mental health daily. A lot of service members and veterans struggle with addiction as well. I want to be the person that makes an impact and helps to change that. I chose this career field because I want to make a difference. I want the men and women who have sacrificed so much to come home and know that people are willing to help them with what they're dealing with. There are resources and people that they can reach out to when they are going through a hard time. No service member or veteran should have to suffer because they are unable to receive the resources that they need. Sadly, many suffer daily and many even take their own lives every year. It is said that 22 veterans die a day by suicide because it is all too much and they are unable to get the help that they need. I want to change that statistic. It is important to take care of your mental health because you have to live with yourself for as long as you are on this earth. If you look in the mirror and you can't stand what you see then you need to fix it. Whether that may be changing your perception of how you see yourself or you want to start going to the gym to lose a few pounds. You need to feel good in your skin and you have to be able to live with you. I maintain my mental health by going to the gym or cycling class. I think it helps me to not think about anything but working out at the moment. I turn on loud music and just forget about what is going on in the outside world. I also have two very expensive horses, but they help me with my mental health. Horses truly see you for who you are as a person and how you treat them. I wish that was the case with the human race. People can be so judgemental for no reason at all. Horses just want to be treated with love and kindness and they will reciprocate that in return. There is also something so freeing about riding down the trails on horse back in the fall and taking in the beauty of nature.

I was in the National Guard for eight years as a medic. After serving in the military and seeing and experiencing what service members go through I think there is a lot of work to do on the healthcare side. Service members should not sacrifice so much and be left out to dry when they come home because they can't get the mental health services that they so desperately need. My view has changed on how important it is to check in on people. Everyone is busy and most people work two jobs a day just to put food on the table. However, it is so important to take that extra couple of minutes and check in on the people that you care about, and let them know that you are there if they need extra support. Where I grew up the belief was that suicide was the easy way out. It was a cowardly thing to do and you were considered weak. I even had a close family member tell me that if anyone committed suicide no matter how important they were to her she would not attend their funeral. Knowing what I know now I think that is a very naive statement, that women made. People that commit suicide usually aren't in their right mind, they have been struggling for so long that they feel that, that is the only way to end their suffering. Everyone is dealing with something and most of the time you have no idea what that person is going through. It is important to be kind and think about what they may be dealing with. Just because you were raised one way doesn't mean it is the only way or the right way. This has changed my career aspirations. I always thought that I wanted to be a nurse. I even got halfway through nursing school and changed my mind. I knew that I wanted to make an impact differently. I changed my major to psychology and I love it. I think it is very interesting how the brain and human body work together. I also am very interested in different mental illnesses that occur in the brain and what parts of the brain they affect. I used to work in addictions and after some searching, I realized that that is truly what I want to do. Addictions and mental health go hand in hand and I want to be able to help my fellow service members in that journey.

My name is Renee. I am from upstate New York. I am a veteran and served in the National Guard for eight years. I was a medic in the National Guard and always thought I wanted to be a nurse. I even got halfway through nursing school and changed my mind. I knew that I wanted to make an impact differently. I changed my major to psychology and I love it. I think it is very interesting how the brain and human body work together. I also am very interested in different mental illnesses that occur in the brain and what parts of the brain they affect. I used to work in addictions and after some searching, I realized that that is truly what I want to do. Addictions and mental health go hand in hand and I want to be able to help my fellow service members in that journey. My goal is to become a licensed Mental Health counselor. I want to work with veterans who are struggling with mental health and addiction problems. I am currently attending American Military University for my bachelor's in psychology. After I graduate from there I will go on to my master's degree in mental health counseling. This scholarship will help me to pay for my schooling and further my education. This is what I need to do to become a mental health counselor. I will use the scholarship to not only help pay for my schooling but also to better the people around me with the help of the education that I will receive. I have seen firsthand other service members who struggle with their mental health daily. A lot of service members and veterans struggle with addiction as well. I want to be the person that makes an impact and helps to change that. I chose this career field because I want to make a difference. I want the men and women who have sacrificed so much to come home and know that people are willing to help them with what they're dealing with. There are resources and people that they can reach out to when they are going through a hard time. No service member or veteran should have to suffer because they are unable to receive the resources that they need. Sadly, many suffer daily and many even take their own lives every year. It is said that 22 veterans die a day by suicide because it is all too much and they are unable to get the help that they need. I want to change that statistic.