Religion
Christian
Church
Presbyterian
Hobbies and interests
Hiking And Backpacking
Psychology
Acting And Theater
Travel And Tourism
Film
Church
Reading
Adult Fiction
Christianity
Classics
I read books daily
Dustin Harwell
1,305
Bold Points1x
FinalistDustin Harwell
1,305
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
I am a 52 year old gay man, resilient survivor of addiction, mental illness, and formerly incarcerated. I am determined to achieve a degree in social work so that I may use my lived experience to help others who struggle with addiction, marginalization, and criminal thinking. I have worked hard to build a new life on a firm foundation of faith, support and hard work. I alone can do this, but I can't do this alone...
Education
MiraCosta College
Associate's degree programMajors:
- Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other
Minors:
- Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services
Columbia High School
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Bachelor's degree program
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
- Social Work
Career
Dream career field:
Psychology
Dream career goals:
Therapist
Warm Line Specialist
2019 – 20201 year
Public services
Volunteering
Amity Vista Ranch — Community Outreach2020 – Present
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Philanthropy
Entrepreneurship
Education Matters Scholarship
Learning to manage my addiction, bipolar disorder, P.T.S.D., and fifteen years of incarceration has been an incredibly arduous process that nearly cost me my life, but in the end it has brought me the qualities of resilience, empathy, and an overwhelming desire to help others. Spending nearly fifteen years in the Arizona Department of Corrections was traumatic, demoralizing, and incredibly difficult. I was a 35- year-old gay man who had already experienced a great deal of abuse, trauma, and grief when I first went to prison for committing note-passing bank robberies to support my addiction.
I had lost my career, relationship, and home due to my addiction, and became willing to do anything to support my addiction to painkillers, cocaine, and alcohol. Coming from an abusive home, growing up gay, and surviving the AIDS epidemic which killed my first partner (and many of my friends) had left me bitter, angry, and full of grief. My family, peers, and community marginalized me because of my sexual orientation, leaving me feeling like an outsider who was unworthy of having a good life. The day that I attended my partner’s funeral, there were people outside of the cemetery holding signs which screamed, "God Hates Fags.” This is just a snapshot of the bullying, marginalization, and overt abuse that I have experienced since my early childhood.
I turned to alcohol in my early teens to escape my feelings of isolation and disconnection, and it worked. The basic facts are that I lost hope at some point in my life and became lost in my addiction for decades. I was victimized further as a gay inmate. Rapes, beatings, and extortion were par for the course during my 15 years of incarceration, compounded by the total disregard of the prison officials to my plight. Upon my last release, I finally received the treatment and intensive therapy that I desperately needed to begin my healing process. I learned to forgive myself and others for wrongs real and imagined. I learned to take positive actions despite my negative self-talk. I learned to rely on God and to help others as I am able. I learned to love again and to be part of the larger community. Most of all, I took responsibility for my actions, became willing to change, and began to make amends to others and myself for the great harm that I had caused.
Today I am a freshman at MiraCosta College at the age of 52, with a stated major in Human Development. I attend 12 step meetings, church, and therapy. My bipolar symptoms are well managed with medication and therapy. I am vigilant in my recovery, have a strong drive to succeed, and feel a deep sense of purpose.
Lastly, I was released from prison at the height of COVID to the news that my mother had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This scholarship would allow me to continue my educational journey and give my mother peace in her final year or two of life. Most of all, my difficulties have shown me that I am capable of surviving anything that comes my way. My failures have shown me a path to success. My heart is once again full of hope and promise as I direct my attention outside of myself and into focus on what I can do for others. I am reaching for the sky, and with a lot of support from others and God, I am going to succeed. Thank you for considering me for your scholarship.
Ethel Hayes Destigmatization of Mental Health Scholarship
Learning to manage my addiction, bipolar disorder, P.T.S.D., and fifteen years of
incarceration has been an incredibly arduous process that nearly cost me my life,
but in the end has brought me resilience, empathy, and an overwhelming desire to
help others. Spending nearly fifteen years in the Arizona Department of
Corrections was traumatic, demoralizing, and incredibly difficult. I was a 35- yearold gay man who had already experienced a great deal of abuse, trauma, and grief
when I first went to prison for committing note-passing bank robberies to support
my addiction.
I had lost my career, relationship, and home due to my addiction, and became
willing to do anything to support my addiction to painkillers, cocaine, and alcohol.
Coming from an abusive home, growing up gay, surviving the AIDS epidemic that
killed my first partner and many of my friends had left me bitter, angry, and full of
grief. My family, peers, and community marginalized me because of my sexual
orientation, leaving me feeling like an outsider who was unworthy of having a
good life. The day that I attended my partners funeral, there were people outside of
the cemetery holding signs which screamed, "God Hates Fags.” This is just a
snapshot of the bullying, marginalization, and overt abuse that I experienced since
my early childhood.
I turned to alcohol in my early teens to escape my feelings of isolation and
disconnection, and it worked. The basic facts are that I lost hope at some point in
my life and became lost in my addiction for decades. For many years, I put on a
mask as I showed up to work and had minor successes as a sales manager. At one
point in my life, I ran a small custom furniture factory, and had all the things in life
which are supposed to make one happy. When I lost everything through my
addiction, I committed my crimes and wanted to end my life. I took 60 Xanax but
was found and revived. When I went to prison for my crimes, I was victimized
further as a gay inmate. Rapes, beatings, and extortion were par for the course for
my 15 years of incarceration, compounded by the total disregard of the prison
officials to my plight. Upon my last release, I finally received the treatment and
intensive therapy that I desperately needed to begin my healing process. I learned
to forgive myself and others for wrongs real and imagined. I learned to take positive actions despite my negative self-talk. I learned to rely on God and to help
others as I am able. I learned to love again and to be part of the larger community.
Most of all, I took responsibility for my actions, became willing to change, began
to make amends to others and myself for the great harm that I had caused.
Today I am a freshman at MiraCosta college at the age of 52, with a stated major
in Human Development. I attend 12 step meetings, church, and therapy. My
bipolar symptoms are well managed with medication and therapy. I am vigilant in
my recovery, have a strong drive to succeed, and feel a deep sense of purpose.
Lastly, I was released from prison at the height of COVID to the news that my
mother had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This scholarship would allow
me to continue my educational journey and give my mother peace in her final year
or two of life. Most of all, my difficulties have shown me that I am capable of
surviving anything that comes my way. My failures have shown me a path to
success, and my heart is once again full of hope and promise as I direct my
attention outside of myself and into focus on what I can do for others. I am
reaching for the sky, and with a lot of support from others and God, I am going to
succeed. Thank you for considering me for your scholarship.
Pelipost Overcoming Adversity Scholarship
Overcoming my own incarceration has been an incredibly arduous process that has nearly cost me my life, but in the end has brought me resilience, empathy, and an overwhelming desire to help others. Spending nearly fifteen years in the Arizona Department of Corrections was traumatic, demoralizing, and incredibly difficult.
I was a 35 year old gay man, who had already experienced a great deal of abuse, traueratly ma, and grief, when I first went to prison for committing note-passing bank robberies to support my addiction. I had lost my career, relationship, and home due to my addiction, and became willing to do anything to support my addiction to painkillers, cocaine, and alcohol. Coming from an abusive home, growing up gay, surviving the AIDS epidemic that killed my first partner and many of my friends had left me bitter, angry, and full of grief. My family and community marginalized me because of my sexual orientation, and left me feeling like an outsider who was unworthy of having a good life. Going to my partners funeral, there were people outside of the cemetery holding signs saying "God Hates Fags" This was just a snapshot of the bullying, marginalization, and overt abuse that I experienced since my early childhood. I turned to alcohol in my early teens to escape my feelings of isolation and disconnection, and it worked.
The basic facts are that I lost hope at some point in my life and became lost in my addiction for decades. I was victimized further as a gay inmate. Rape, beatings, and extortion were par for the course for my 15 years of incarceration, compounded by the total disregard of the prison officials to my plight. Upon my last release, I finally received the treatment and intensive therapy that I desperately needed to begin my healing process. I learned to forgive myself and others for wrings real and imagined. I learned to take positive actions despite my negative self-talk. I learned to rely on God and to help others as I am able. I learned to love again and to be part of the larger community.
Today I am a freshman at MiraCosta college at the age of 52, with a stated major in Human Development. I attend 12 step meetings, church, and therapy. My bipolar symptoms are well managed with medication and therapy. I am vigilant in my recovery and have a strong drive to succeed, to light the way for other formerly incarcerated inmates who feel lost and lack direction and hope.
Lastly, I was released at the height of COVID, and discovered that my mother has pancreatic cancer. This scholarship would allow me to continue on my educational journey and give my mother peace in her final year or two of life. Most of all, my difficulties have shown me that I am capable of surviving anything that comes my way. My failures have shown me a path to success, and my heart is once again full of hope and promise as I direct my attention outside of myself and into focus on what I can do for others. I am reaching for the sky, and with a lot of support from others and God, I am going to succeed. Thank you for considering me for your scholarship.