The Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund is pleased to announce the recipient of our 2017 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.

2017 Scholarship Recipient

Daniele Martino, Iona College

Quote from the winning essay: “Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the death of a family member, no person is truly prepared to lose somebody they love. To lose a family member to addiction is confusing, infuriating and at times, hopeless. The most we can do is put together the broken pieces and seek some angle of perspective into what could have caused such a bewildering tragedy. My ultimate goal is to contribute to creating a more well-rounded depiction of what mental illness entails by pursuing a career in the mental health field. I believe this scholarship would help bring me closer to my career aspirations and in my mission of correctly educating the public about the mental health epidemic, in order to eradicate the addiction stigma.”