The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund is pleased to announce the recipient of our 2018 scholarship. This scholarship fund was established to recognize and assist students who have lost a parent to substance abuse. This applicant’s story stood out among the rest and we are proud to award $1,000 to assist in her academic journey.
2018 Scholarship Recipient
Veronica Nation, University of Colorado Denver
Quote from the winning essay: “Talking about what happened, and taking the next steps to recovery helped me understand a lot about myself and about addiction. I learned I could not and still cannot change people and make decisions for them. I learned that the best coping mechanism for me is to put my heart and energy into things that really matter to me: writing and my education. I know that addiction is controlling, it is deep and painful and hard to escape. Love has given me everything I need to forgive my father, and I am so thankful to have grown from such a difficult time in my life.”
Get to Know Veronica Nation
Today we’d like to formally introduce our 2018 Scholarship Recipient, Veronica Nation. Veronica is a freshman at the University of Colorado Denver studying for a degree in English Literature. The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund was established to assist and recognize students who have lost a parent to substance abuse and we are proud to award a $1,000 scholarship to assist Veronica in her academic journey.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hello! My name is Veronica. I graduated highschool from Denver School of the Arts in 2017 from the Creative Writing program, for which I am forever grateful. I currently attend college for English Literature and I am minoring in Spanish. I love to read, write, and hang out with my family and friends (and my two guinea pigs). I am working on self-publishing a collection of poetry and hope to have it released by next year!
Q: Imagine yourself 10 years from now. What goals and ambitions do you have for yourself, personally, academically, and professionally?
Ten years from now, I hope that I am a teacher and an author. Part of why I am minoring in Spanish is because I want to teach bilingual students. I would like to teach highschool language arts courses and get students to enjoy writing and reading. Personally, I want to travel to Costa Rica and live there for a short period of time to immerse myself in the culture and language of another country. I eventually would like to get a Master’s degree in English and publish a book for my poetry.
Q: Aside from a college degree, what do you hope to gain from your college experience?
Aside from a college degree, I hope to gain a better understanding of different cultures and people all around the world. My school is luckily pretty diverse and the courses I have taken so far have opened my eyes to understanding different cultural and linguistic groups. I also want to become well-versed in different types of literature, as it is something I am passionate about.
Q: What motivates you to continue working towards accomplishing your goals?
What motivates me to continue working towards accomplishing my goals is my education. I have always loved learning and it keeps me going. Even when I am not in school, I am learning through reading various types of books. I am also motivated by my family and friends, who always encourage and support me in whatever path I choose to take.
Q: What advice would you give to other student who have been through circumstances similar to yours?
The advice I would give to other students who have been through similar circumstances would be to give yourself time to heal. I think time is one of the biggest factors when it comes to acceptance after grieving. It’s important to remember what you can control and what you cannot, and death of a loved one is one of the hardest things to go through. Let yourself grieve and learn to cope in a healthy way, but don’t allow a hardship to overtake your life.
The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund 