We’d like to formally introduce our Fall 2024 2nd Place Scholarship Recipient, Justine Nyquist. The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund was established to assist and recognize students who have lost a parent, guardian, grandparent, sibling, and/or spouse to substance abuse. We are proud to award a $500 scholarship to assist Justine this year. Justine is majoring in Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Justine Nyquist, and I am originally from a very rural town on the border of Mexico in South Texas. Once I graduated from high school I quickly left for the large city of Austin, Texas to attend the University of Texas at Austin for my undergraduate degree. Since graduating I have had several roles within the helping profession working with survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and other traumas, the queer community, and more. I am going into my last year of my master’s in social work and hope to give back in bigger and greater ways. My biggest passions are working with survivors of trauma, the queer community, and those living with chronic illnesses; a reflection of myself where I can connect on a deeper level. On my free time I love to play board games with my friends and partner, make whimsical art, and spend time with my cats.
Q: Imagine yourself 10 years from now. What goals and ambitions do you have for yourself, personally, academically, and professionally?
When I think about life 10 years from now, I hope to have a sustainable system and sense of equilibrium between various aspects of my life. Professionally, it would be a dream to have a private practice or wellness center offering care to the populations I am most passionate about in a holistic way- or be part of something along those lines. Personally, I hope to be able to continue making art and sharing it with the world and continue to work towards working through my lifetime of unresolved medical issues to lower my daily pain levels and make the world a more accessible place for myself and those like me.
Q: Aside from a college degree, what do you hope to gain from your college experience?
My greatest intention going into this master’s program was to gain new experiences and add more tools to my social work toolbox to greater support the community. I truly believe this was accomplished and feel that after completing this final year I will be in a better position towards my professional goals.
Q: What motivates you to continue working towards accomplishing your goals?
My greatest motivation is all that I have survived up to this point in my life, and feeling deep within me that it has put me in a unique position to help those that are currently going through or have gone through similar situations. When I feel alone, I remember how many people around the world are going through similar struggles- or those that I have already encountered along the way, and that motivates me to keep going. When I feel overwhelmed with my pain, school, work, or other aspects of life I remember all that I have survived and all the hoops I have gone through to do so- ultimately reminding me that if I made it through those things, I could make it through this.
Q: What advice would you give to other students who have been through circumstances similar to yours?
Grief is so consuming, and when it first happens it feels like a different reality- or not a reality at all. While there are stages to grief, I think I put a big weight on myself to make it “through” the grieving “process”. What I wish someone would have told me, is that it is not a cut and dry process to make it through and be done with, but a lifelong weight on your soul- a new life so to speak. That is not to say that it will never get better, you will adapt to this new life without your loved one- it will get easier and won’t feel as heavy. Healing is not linear, you may take three steps forward to take two steps back another day, and that is okay. Channeling the grief into something meaningful helped me a lot and realizing that there were lessons within such a circumstance that applied to a myriad of other circumstances.
The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund 