On August 20, 2014, I woke up to the sight of my left leg amputated three inches above my knee. In that very moment, instead of being mournful over the absence of my limb, I became a man full of hope and purpose after internalizing the words of my mental health counselor, “God will use your loss for His gain.” With those words ringing in my spirit, I fought to endure strenuous hours of rehabilitation in order to stand on the only foot I have left to finish my undergraduate program, become a minister and earn a master’s degree in counseling. Now, my intention is to detail how my amputation has truly impacted my schooling/career journey and also articulate just how much this scholarship opportunity will help me become a mental health counselor that will improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. To begin, my twin sister and I were born and raised in Houston, Texas by our single-mother tirelessly working to provide for us. In 2011, I was deemed the class Valedictorian and attended The University of Texas at Austin with hopes to become a filmmaker. Then, at 20 years old, tragedy came. I was involved in a car accident that resulted in the loss of my twin sister and my left leg. I never knew it was humanly possible to be in that much pain and the grief and rehabilitation forced me to discontinue college for almost two years. However, because of the aforementioned words spoken by my counselor, my story did not end in defeat. Through the boundless amount of support of my family and church members, I have not let grief or physical limitations stop me from learning how to walk again with the help of a walker, crutches, and a cane to eventually march across the stage on my own at my college graduation with a prosthetic leg. Just in the closing remarks of that commencement ceremony, I realized that my purpose in life shifted. Instead of making movies, I wanted to make people feel encouraged, uplifted and motivated. I searched for a career that would allow me to use my experiences I had gone through to positively impact the lives of others. So, for five years, I became a college ministry leader at my church and was afforded the opportunity to deliver sermons to thousands of people and conduct over 2,000 years of one-on-one biblical counseling to inspire people with my journey of perseverance and resilience. Furthermore, I have begun earning a Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Liberty University with hopes to graduate in the Summer of 2026. By surprise, the night before I started my first class, I discovered that my wife and I were expecting our first child. My joy for fatherhood was met with anxiety in my paying for school. So, without additional monetary funds, I would be forced to take a leave of absence from school to earn more money to finish my degree. Nevertheless, I want it to be made known that I intend to pursue every single one of my educational and career goals, in spite of my limitations. Eventually, I will obtain my professional counseling license and open my own private practice that will offer counseling services specifically to people with disabilities. This private practice will be a haven of hope and restoration for countless people with disabilities will leave an indelible mark on this world. I only hope I have clearly demonstrated how I will use every dollar of this scholarship opportunity for it to come into fruition.

On August 20, 2014, I woke up to the sight of my left leg amputated three inches above my knee. In that very moment, instead of being mournful over the absence of my limb, I became a man full of purpose after internalizing what a mental health professional infused into me. His name was Connor and he encouraged me to utilize my experience to impact people the rest of my life. Those words empowered me to overcome the insurmountable amount of adversity that came with living with a disability, and it has also inspired me to become a licensed professional counselor. Through the sessions I had with Connor, I was able to endure strenuous hours of rehabilitation, stand on the only foot I have left to finish college and become a minister to college students. Now, my intention is to convey how my experience with mental health has influenced my beliefs, relationships and aspiration to become a counselor who will greatly assist people with disabilities. To begin, my very first experience in the mental health profession came when I was a teenager when my twin sister struggled to accept her own identity. I regrettably dismissed her internal battle and labeled her going to counseling as “seeking attention.” It wasn’t until I discovered that she was causing herself harm that I realized that she had a minuscule amount of self-worth. However, she was able to tackle that crisis through her counselor! At that time, I gained a new belief that mental health professionals help people see that they are worthy and respected and my desire is that every client I will professionally counsel would receive that particular message with the utmost compassion, that is, their lives are full of purpose. Furthermore, I myself have faced a great number of challenges that have molded me into the man addressing you today. At twenty years old, I was involved in a car accident which resulted in the loss of my twin sister and my left leg. I never knew it was humanly possible to be in that much pain and the grief and rehabilitation forced me to take more than a year off from college, but, I had Connor. He was a Christian mental health counselor who made me feel transparent to open up my deep emotions. So, after regular mental health sessions, I can now testify that I have not let grief or physical limitations stop me from learning how to walk with a prosthetic leg to eventually march across the stage at my graduation. To go further, in my sessions with Connor, I discovered the benefits of forming new relationships in the grieving absence of my twin sister and the moment I joined a disabled community, I inherited more siblings. I joined an amputee basketball club and weekly support group and the laughter, fun and brotherhood I encountered in that community has supported me in finishing college and becoming a college ministry leader for these last five years to help numerous college students advance in their spiritual walk. My amputee community has become my biggest cheerleaders in every area of my life from my education, my marriage, and now to my new career aspirations in becoming a licensed professional counselor. With that said, my plan is finishing earning a Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Liberty University by the summer of 2026. Then, I will work as a LPC-Associate at a mental health center, and take my license exam in the state of Texas, where I plan to practice. Furthermore, my education is ultimately with the view of opening my own private practice that will offer counseling services specifically to people with disabilities, of whom I am passionate to counsel the most. This private practice will generously offer services both online and in-person so disabled clients can easily access this depository of life-changing mental health services. My desire is that this practice will be a haven of compassion and respect to countless people with disabilities who need a confidant who understands their unique challenges and lifestyles. This practice will allocate many “Connors” to this particular community so they can break through barriers just like I have done and I hope I have clearly demonstrated how I will use every dollar of this scholarship opportunity for it to come into fruition.

On August 20, 2014, I woke up to the sight of my left leg amputated three inches above my knee. In that very moment, instead of being mournful over the absence of my limb, I became a man full of hope and purpose after internalizing the Bible passage Acts 26:16. This verse states, “But rise up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a minister.” The verse has defined what success and achievement mean to me. Success looks like rising up to endure strenuous hours of rehabilitation and standing up on the only foot I have left to finish my undergraduate degree and become a minister to college students for the last five years. Now, my intention in this personal statement is to convey how this scholarship opportunity will help achieve a new level of success by becoming a licensed mental health counselor that will impact the quality of life of people with disabilities. To begin, I have faced a great number of challenges that have molded me into the man addressing you today. My twin sister and I were born and raised in Houston, Texas by our single-mother tirelessly working to provide for us. In 2011, I was deemed the class Valedictorian and attended The University of Texas at Austin to earn a bachelor’s degree in film/television with hopes to become an independent filmmaker. Then, at 20 years old, tragedy came. I was involved in a car accident that resulted in the loss of my twin sister and my left leg. I never knew it was humanly possible to be in that much pain and the grief and rehabilitation forced me to discontinue college for almost two years. However, my story does not end in defeat. Over these last twelve years, I have been successful in various ways through the support of my family and church members. I have exemplified what it means to be resilient and have not let grief or physical limitations stop me from learning how to walk with a prosthetic leg with the help of a walker, crutches, and a cane to eventually march across the stage on my own at my UT graduation. On that day of commencement, I was crying with tears because I felt accomplished, not merely because of academic success, but because I personally persevered through so much pain, grief and limitations to make it to that point in life. That day of graduation, I learned that my success wasn't determined by my grade point average or degree, but it was about breaking through setback after setback to keep moving forward in my life. Over the years, I have refused to let my hardships hold me back from becoming a minister, enduring the physicality of walking for long periods for appointments and gospel outreach. So, I want it to be made known that I intend to pursue every single one of my educational and career goals, in spite of my disability. With that said, with the help of scholarship, my plan is to finish a Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Liberty University in the summer of 2026. Upon obtaining my professional counseling license, I will open my own private practice that will offer counseling services specifically to people with disabilities. This private practice will be available both online and in-person so that our community can easily access this depository of mental health services. My sole desire is that this counseling will be a haven of hope, healing and restoration for countless people with disabilities. In conclusion, I will achieve my aspirations in life, not for mere financial gain, but to leave an indelible mark on this world by using my gifts and talents as a disabled person as a platform in order to help other disabled people defeat their respective giants. This is ultimately what success looks like to me, finding fulfillment and passion in uplifting the disabled community and to essentially carry out Acts 26:16. I hope I have clearly demonstrated how I will use every dollar of this scholarship opportunity for it to come into fruition.

On August 20, 2014, I woke up to the sight of my left leg amputated three inches above my knee. In that very moment, instead of being mournful over the absence of my limb, I became a man full of hope and purpose after internalizing the Bible passage Acts 26:16. This verse states, “But rise up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a minister.” These very words empowered me to overcome the insurmountable amount of adversity to complete my undergraduate degree, and it has also inspired me to return to school to earn a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. I “rose up” to endure strenuous hours of rehabilitation and I “stood up” on the only foot I have left to finish my undergraduate degree and become a minister to college students for the last eight years. Now, my intention in this personal statement is to convey my academic history and my motivation as to why I have chosen to continue schooling after eight years in order to become a professional counselor that will impact the quality of life of people with disabilities. To begin, my twin sister and I were born and raised in Houston, Texas by our single-mother tirelessly working to provide for us. In 2011, I was deemed the class Valedictorian and attended The University of Texas at Austin to earn a bachelor’s degree in film/television with hopes to become an independent filmmaker. I was awarded the Houston Livestock and Rodeo Scholarship, the Longhorn Distinguished Scholarships and even received various student filmmaking awards such as being a semi-finalist at the Student Academy Awards in 2015 and the Rising Star Award at the Attic Film Festival. Yet, at 20 years old, tragedy came. I was involved in a car accident that resulted in the loss of my twin sister and my left leg. I never knew it was humanly possible to be in that much pain and the grief and rehabilitation forced me to discontinue college for almost two years. However, over these last twelve years, I defied the odds and learned to walk with a prosthetic leg to eventually march across the stage at my college graduation! Moreover, last year, a spark was ignited in me to help people with disabilities. In my spare time, I like to making documentaries and my most recent project was about the overcoming journey of three amputees. I found so much fulfillment and passion in uplifting the disabled community and I decided that I want to leave an indelible mark on this world by using my gifts and talents as a disabled person as a platform in order to help other disabled people defeat their respective giants. With that said, my plan is to finish a Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Liberty University in the summer of 2026. Upon obtaining my professional counseling license, I will open my own private practice that will offer counseling services specifically to people with disabilities. This private practice will be available both online and in-person so that our community can easily access this depository of mental health services. My sole desire is that this counseling will be a haven of hope, healing and restoration for countless people with disabilities. This is my main motivation to return to school after all these years to earn my master’s degree to essentially carry out Acts 26:16 and I hope I have clearly demonstrated how I will use every dollar of this scholarship opportunity for it to come into fruition.

On August 20, 2014, I woke up to the sight of my left leg amputated three inches above my knee. In that very moment, instead of being mournful over the absence of my limb, I became a man full of purpose after hearing the words of my dear friend, Connor. He was an amputee peer advocate that encouraged me with Acts 26:16. This verse states, “But rise up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a minister.” These very words caused me to “rise up” out of my depression and fully embrace a community of people who have been able to overcome insurmountable amounts of adversity that comes with living with an amputation. Now, my intention is to convey how being a part of that disabled community has inspired me to become a licensed professional counselor to positively impact the quality of life of people with disabilities. To begin, when I was 20 years old, tragedy came. I was involved in a car accident that resulted in the loss of my twin sister who was the front passenger at the time, as well as my left leg. I never knew it was humanly possible to be in that much pain, the grief forced me to discontinue college for almost two years and I felt incredibly alone. However, my story does not end in defeat. With that said, I got more siblings the moment I joined a disabled community. After Connor invited me to his amputee basketball club, rowing team and weekly amputee support group, I learned to let my grief or physical limitations stop me from moving forward in my life. The laughter, fun and brotherhood I encountered in that community has supported me in finishing college and becoming a college ministry leader for these last five years to help countless college students advance in their spiritual walk. My amputee community has become my biggest cheerleaders in every area of my life. So, my plan is to finish earning a Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Liberty University by Summer of 2026 with the dream of opening my own private practice that will offer counseling services specifically to people with disabilities.This private practice will be available both online and in-person so that our community can easily access this depository of mental health services. My sole desire is that this practice will be a haven of compassion and respect to countless people with disabilities who need a confidant who understands their unique challenges and lifestyles. I know firsthand that we may struggle to find a person who truly empathizes with us. My center will change that. To conclude, there is one key experience I had with the disabled community that actually ignited the spark in me to help people with disabilities. I adore filmmaking and as I was working on my documentary about amputees, I realized something. That documentary was not for my own self-glory to make a name for myself, but it was made to empower an entire community of people. Making that documentary stirred up a desire to leave an indelible mark on this world by using my own overcoming journey as a disabled person as a platform, a catapult in order to help other disabled people defeat their respective giants. This is how I will carry out Acts 26:16 and I hope I have clearly demonstrated how I will use every dollar of this scholarship opportunity for it to come into fruition.

On August 20, 2014, I woke up to the sight of my left leg amputated three inches above my knee. In that very moment, instead of being mournful over the absence of my limb, I became a man full of purpose after internalizing a Bible verse spoken to me by my very own Christian counselor from Acts 26:16. This verse states, “But rise up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a minister.” These very words caused me to “rise up” out of my depression, empowered me to overcome the insurmountable amount of adversity that came with living with amputation, and it has also inspired me to become a licensed professional counselor to impact the quality of life of people with disabilities like I experienced. Now, my intention is to convey my career goals, why I deserve this scholarship, and how it will benefit me in carrying out every aspiration set before me. To begin, my twin sister and I were born and raised in Houston, Texas by our single-mother tirelessly working to provide for us. In 2011, I was deemed the class Valedictorian and attended The University of Texas at Austin to earn a bachelor’s degree in Film/Television Studies with hopes to become an independent filmmaker. However, at 20 years old, tragedy came. I was involved in a car accident that resulted in the loss of my twin sister and my left leg. I never knew it was humanly possible to be in that much pain and the grief and rehabilitation forced me to discontinue college for almost two years. However, my story does not end in defeat. With that said, I should deserve this scholarship because I have exemplified what it means to be resilient since 2013. I have not let grief or physical limitations stop me from learning how to walk with a prosthetic leg to eventually march across the stage at my college graduation. I have refused to let my hardships hold me back from becoming a college ministry leader for five years, enduring the physicality of walking for long periods for appointments and gospel outreach. I want it to be made known that I intend to pursue every single one of my career goals, in spite of my disability. So, what are my career goals? My plan is to finish earning a Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Liberty University by Summer of 2026 and this scholarship will surely benefit me in supporting the costly expenses of my master’s program and alleviate some financial pressures of making ends meet. Upon graduation, I will start working toward my professional licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate at one of the top Christian counseling centers in Austin, Texas in order to utilize my expertise in biblical counseling with my newfound professional counseling skills to bring healing and restoration to people of faith. Still, all of my aforementioned goals are a means to a glorious end as I intend to open my own private practice that will offer counseling services specifically to people with disabilities. I deserve the scholarship because I plan to utilize it to fund my master’s program with a view of building a haven of mental health care to one of the most disadvantaged groups of people in our communities. My goal is to empower more “Ty Wilsons” to break through barriers like I did and I hope I have clearly demonstrated how I will use every dollar of this award for my lofty goals to come into fruition.

On August 20, 2014, I woke up to the sight of my left leg amputated three inches above my knee. Yet, with the help of professional counseling over the last twelve years, I have been empowered to overcome the insurmountable amount of adversity that came with living with a disability. Now, I have one hope. I desire to earn my masters degree to become a licensed professional counselor in order to open a mental health center specifically to impact the lives of people with disabilities. This private practice will offer appointments both online and in-person to ensure our community can access this depository of mental health services and find a person who truly empathizes with them in the most trying time in their lives. My sole desire is that this center will be a haven of compassion to countless people with disabilities who need a confidant who understands their unique challenges and will encourage them to break through Mount Everest-sized setbacks, heal deep depression and drive them forward in life. In brief, my hope is to give hope and every dollar of this scholarship opportunity will be used to make "The Joy Wilson Counseling Center" come into fruition.