SCHOLARSHIP
JAM SCHOLARSHIP FUND
The JAM Scholarship is dedicated to my dear friend's son, Jeffrey Arthur Miller, who passed away a few years ago due to complications of a mental illness.
Jeffrey was a bright and talented young man. He enjoyed being a costumed participant at several Renaissance Fair locations including San Luis Obispo. He acted in school plays and at "City At Peace" in Santa Barbara.
Jeffery was also active at several sports, an exemplary boy scout, very generous in helping others, and equally fortunate to have supportive friends. He went above and beyond in as many volunteer positions and even received an award in scouting for it. He was always trying to improve. He even travelled to Colorado to work with goats at WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities On Organic Farms).
Jeffrey was always an ace at card games. I long miss spending the evenings playing UNO with him and his family. Through the years, we all wish that we could have found more help and resources for him. We all truly miss his laughter and amazing smile.
In honor of his memory, his parents started this scholarship toward herbal and holistic education.
Mental illness is a disease that affects people across all races, ethnicities, genders & income levels. As of 2018, 1 in 4 Americans (26%) are affected by a mental illness of some kind, including but not limited to depression, anxiety disorders, panic attacks, eating disorders, addiction, PTSD, thoughts of suicide, and more, and many are affected by more than one type at a time or over their lifetime.
Because mental illness often affects not just the individual, but those who are closest to those with a mental illness, it is often considered a family disease. The loved ones often begin to suffer from depression, anxiety, insomnia, or panic disorders as well, in their worry and grief to try and help those who suffer.
I myself have been affected from both sides of this disease. I know from my own experience that there are often no EASY solutions, and that healing takes time and help from many angles.
I often say in classes, there is no ONE herb or no ONE pill that can help depression or mental illness. It is a COMPLETE lifestyle change. I have been blessed over the years to have found that through a myriad of different approaches, including nutrition, herbs, counseling, acupuncture, exercise, support groups, meditation, and many other alternative therapies, there can be relief or a lessening of symptoms. Some people find that medications help, some people need multiple other therapies to truly find healing.
One of the hardest parts about mental illness is that often those afflicted do not always want treatment or even know that they have a disease. I find that the stigma around mental illness and taking care of our mental health is a huge part of the resistance in our culture for people actually getting the help they need & deserve.
Through this scholarship, I hope to raise awareness of mental health issues, and provide a gateway for those who possibly wouldn't be able to seek help through alternative medicine to learn all the options they have available to them through our programs.
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
Currently there are very few colleges in the U.S. that offer a curriculum in herbal studies and medicine. Herbal education is available mainly through small private schools and academies. The JAM Scholarship was established to help people in need pursue their herbal education at Artemisia Academy.
The application for the JAM Scholarship can be found here.
Every year, one JAM Scholarship will be awarded based on
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Financial need,
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Passion of the individual to help others through holistic and herbal medicine,
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Completion of the scholarship application
The scholarship can amount from $250 to $500, and will be applied to the tuition cost of Artemisia Academy classes and workshops.
Every recipient will be asked to sign a commitment to complete the scholarship funded classes/workshops, and submit a photo and brief interview or video of their experience to be later published on our website.
Applications will be reviewed March 26, 2023 and the scholarship will be awarded on May 15, 2023.