Suicide is a national epidemic in our country that is often cloaked in silence and shame. The tragic loss of over 47,000 to suicide annually is compounded by the 5 million ‘suicide loss survivors’ who are left behind. Many of these survivors are unable to freely share their experiences or feelings of loss because of the stigma still surrounding suicide. 

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. It is the second leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults who die more from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, influenza, and chronic lung disease combined. It is no secret that guns are the most common method used in suicides.

And yet, suicide is often preventable with timely, evidence-based treatment.

In 2018, Anthony’s Scholarship was created by John Fisher as a community engagement program of his medical malpractice law firm, The New York Injury & Malpractice Law Firm, P.C. to increase suicide awareness and prevention by awarding a student who writes a winning essay featuring innovative ideas for new programs and legislation to reduce suicide.

Our team at The New York Injury & Malpractice Law Firm, P.C. is honored to assist students in the pursuit of their higher education through this financial award.

Applications are no longer being accepted for the 2021 round, but check back soon for updated information for the 2022 round.

National Suicide Hotline:
1-800-SUICIDE(1-800-784-2433)
1-800-273-TALK(1-800-273-8255)

Recent Updates:

2021 Scholarship Recipient:
Lauren Miller is a rising sophomore honor student attending Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. She will receive the $2,000 scholarship to use at her discretion for writing the best essay featuring innovative ideas for new programs and legislation to reduce suicide, the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the second leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults.
2020 Scholarship Recipient:
Gwendolyn Michelle Morgan-Flowers entered the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ as a full-time freshman student in the fall of 2020, taking all of her classes remotely. Gwendolyn lives with her family at the Ft. Defiance Navajo Indian Reservation, where the pandemic has hit the Navajo Nation especially hard and at this writing, a two-week Stay-at-Home lockdown has been ordered. Gwendolyn and her family continue to collect boxes of food to support those who are in quarantine and will resume their deliveries when the lockdown is lifted.
2019 Scholarship Recipient:
Janay Patterson is completing her last semester of nursing school and will graduate with her Bachelor’s of Science, Nursing in April 2021. She plans to work in a neonatal intensive care unit upon graduation. Janay wanted to “Thank the John H. Fisher law firm for the Anthony’s Scholarship Award that helped me achieve my dream of becoming a nurse!”
2018 Scholarship Recipient:
Steven Skros is currently a sophomore attending Stevens Institute of Technology Located in Hoboken, New Jersey. He is continuing with his plans to complete an Engineering Degree and serves as a ‘Peer Leader’ at Stevens welcoming incoming freshmen to ensure a smooth transition into college.

2021 Winner: Lauren Miller

Congratulations to Lauren Miller, the 2021 Anthony’s ‘Living with a ‘Sense of Purpose’ Suicide Prevention Scholarship recipient! Lauren Miller is a rising sophomore honor student attending Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania. She will receive the $2,000 scholarship to use at her discretion for writing the best essay featuring innovative ideas for new programs and legislation to reduce suicide, the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the second leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults.

Three ways Ms. Miller’s essay proposed to decrease suicide included: reforming legislation of HIPPA laws in terms of mental health, increasing funding allocated to psychiatric hospitals and eliminating the IMD Exclusion from Medicaid.

According to Ms. Miller, “I am super excited to receive this honor. I feel it will go toward a bigger cause than just me because it helps better educate future health providers to treat suicide ideation by furthering my goal of receiving a master’s degree as a Clinical Social Worker with a concentration on teen suicide prevention.”

Lauren Miller’s Scholarship Essay

 

2020 Winner: Gwendolyn Michelle Morgan-Flowers

Congratulations Gwendolyn for your excellent essay featuring the specific teenage demographic suffering from depression and suicide within the Native American community. Your essay is deeply touching and it is our honor to name you as the 2020 winner of the Anthony’s Scholarship Living with a Sense of Purpose.

While growing up on the Ft. Defiance Navajo Indian Reservation and personally experiencing suicide ideation, Gwendolyn’s proposed mental health programs and legislation aim to decrease suicide by increasing mental health access to all children across the country and within the Indian Nations. Among Native American communities, 40 percent of those who die by suicide are between the ages of 15 to 24 and American Indian teens take their lives more than two times the rate of other teen demographics.

Gwendolyn is bound for the University of Arizona in Tucson in the fall of 2020, where she will be a prelaw student with plans to become a lawyer to ‘pay it forward’ and help at-risk women and children in her Native American community as “she has been helped by others.”

Gwendolyn Michelle Morgan Flowers’ Scholarship Essay

2019 Winner: Janay Patterson

Ms. Patterson is a nursing student at Aspen University in Tempe, AZ. After losing her step-father to suicide in 2015, she became an active member of the Out of the Darkness program, created by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

“When I found out my essay had been chosen, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude to John Fisher and Anthony’s mom for this generous gift. More than anything, my family feels honored that my father-in-law’s story has been able to be shared and to help create awareness. Anthony’s story, like so many others’, touched my heart in a way that inspired me to take action. Through this experience, my eyes have been more open to see those who suffer in silence and to be a voice for those who don’t think theirs matters. As we work to bring more attention to suicide awareness, we can reach out and make a difference that will change the world for the better.” 

Janay Patterson Scholarship Essay

 

2018 Winner: Steven Skros

Out of nearly seventy essays submitted nationwide, including graduate students from prestigious universities, Steven Skros, a high school senior from Port Reading, NJ, wrote the winning essay focusing on teenage suicide prevention.

Mr. Skros graduated from Woodbridge Township High School in June 2019 and currently attends college majoring in biomedical engineering. At the time of his application, he carried a 4.1 GPA, participated in soccer and volleyball teams and volunteered with the New Jersey Senior Olympics.

Steven Skros Scholarship Essay

 

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