The loss of a parent or guardian is one of life’s most difficult ordeals. The emotional strain can be devastating to children and young adults. And for too many families, an untimely death also brings financial stress, making recovery all the more difficult. A college education is already a major financial challenge for most American families, but it becomes infinitely more difficult for a student when a parent dies, leaving little or no life insurance.

Life insurance is an important financial safety net that parents can leave their families. Unfortunately nearly 100 million Americans don’t have life insurance, and most with coverage have far less than recommended.

Since the program's inception in 2005, Life Happens has awarded over $3 million to students in need. Ameritas has partnered with Life Happens to sponsor a $5,000 scholarship for a deserving student. Please review the stories and select the student who you would like to receive the scholarship.
ENTRY #1: Gabriel

My name is Gabriel Perkins. This is difficult to write as I just lost my Dad on January 1st, 2023 after his fourth battle with small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. He had surgery this time to remove a really large tumor so we were concerned but Dad always pulled through. Honestly, I thought this time would be the same. He did survive the surgery but his heart gave out just two days later.

My Dad had so many treatments and surgeries that impacted him physically and mentally. He had PTSD from his military service that worsened over the years too. My Mom shielded me and my three siblings from things but when I was around 8 I started noticing more and he was never the same. There were times he was suicidal but thankfully he never took his own life. My Dad lived so many years of his life battling cancer it's hard to even imagine how he did it. He was so strong.

My parents worked hard for us but there was no way to make up all the lost income and medical costs. We knew for me or my 3 siblings to go to college we would have to work and get scholarships. I worked hard in high school on my grades and in my sport, tennis. I was able to get an academic scholarship for college but even the Presidential scholarship does not cover all tuition. I was able to make it my first semester with several smaller one-time outside scholarships but need help for the upcoming semesters. We can't stack academic and sports scholarships but if I can get through my undergraduate work my tennis will pay for my Masters. I am pursuing a Master of Social Work at the University of Mobile.

My Dad was only in his late 20s when he was first diagnosed and did not have any life insurance. Everyone really needs to get life insurance as early as possible. Don't wait until you are married and have kids. You have to be sure you are healthy enough to qualify for it so the younger the better. Having life insurance would have made a huge difference for my family. The stress families face figuring out how to pay for medical bills, final expenses, and college is overwhelming. Having life insurance could alleviate all that for a family already suffering the loss of their loved one.

I work some for my uncle installing flooring, I have worked at a coffee shop, and do yard work. Currently, I also work as a part-time youth pastor and teach tennis lessons and hold tennis camps. I want to reach my goals and be able to help others to navigate through life. The “Life Lessons” scholarship would greatly lessen the anxiety and financial pressure on me and my family. And when I am in the position to I will pay it forward to others who need help and make my Dad proud. Thank you for your consideration for this scholarship.
ENTRY #2: Maya

My name is Maya Camacho, I am from Cincinnati Ohio. My mother is from Cincinnati and my father is from Ecuador, South America. Unfortunately at a young age, I have a memory of my mother collecting donations from friends and family to send my father back to his country for a proper goodbye. Because of the financial burden of not having any kind of life insurance or will, my mother sold everything she had and we went to live in Mexico for 7 years. My mother had more children and we all came back to start fresh. Living in Mexico showed me how necessary a college education is. My grief and heartbreak of not having my father has propelled me to seek opportunities to establish my own independence and break boundaries to have financial freedom. Through my mother's suffering, I strive to be better. I am humbly seeking a scholarship opportunity so that I may have a resource to complete my studies to become the first in my family to obtain a college degree in Mortuary Science. I believe in the American Dream of being who I want to be and here there are no limits or walls to stop anyone from a degree if they wish to have it. With no life insurance coverage placed, I was unable to have any grasp of the bigger picture in place. Adults should plan and meet goals for the future events to come because, in reality, they will come good or bad. My family's financial situation dishearteningly was unfortunate but also an important life lesson that unknown events always come around and reveal themselves. I graduated high school among the National Honors Society, received my phlebotomy certificate, and work PRN at various hospitals. I have a 3.4 GPA and maintain a smile every day because life is precious. Even though I might have missed out on the assurance of a life insurance guarantee I still have the positive reinforcement that I will break barriers and choose my own plan for my life. The saying in Spanish is, "Convierte tus heridas en sabiduria" Convert your wounds into wisdom. I will achieve my goal and become the first Hispanic woman in Cincinnati to have the first Hispanic funeral home. I will be an advocate for little children going through heartbreak as I did. I will comfort their gentle hearts and tell them it will be ok. I love school and resources and doors are open for me to find and utilize. Thank you for considering my essay and taking the time to read my story.
ENTRY #3: Tyreke

My name is Tyreke Thomas and today I want to talk about the untimely death of my mom Shoren Thomas. It was November 15, 2015, I was in my bedroom about to go to sleep when I heard screaming coming from my mothers' room. I instantly ran to my mom's room confused as to what I was looking at. She was lying on the floor wheezing trying to catch her breath due to asthma. I tried connecting her to her nebulizer but that was not working. My aunt called the ambulance, and at that moment I felt helpless. I try to pick her up but I was too weak. I was 13 years old. I begin to cry because I couldn't help her when she needed me the most. The paramedics arrive on the scene they took her to the hospital and we followed them in my aunt's car. We waited in the hospital lobby for 10 minutes to get an update on my mom. The doctors came out to us and told us that she had died. At that moment I felt so much pain, my heart ache and was forever broken. Leading up to the funeral my mother did not have life insurance and my sisters had to struggle to come up with the money for cremation. I think the lack of adequate life insurance coverage impacted my family’s financial situation because they had to gather money from family, church, friends, and social services, and set up payment plans. Not having life insurance made my sister struggle and turned to drugs. Not having life insurance had us struggling to survive for food and clothes. Our living conditions were horrible we lives with rats and roaches. My sister could barely pay the bills. I went days at a time without food. Not having life insurance I feel like we hit every obstacle you could think of after my mom's death. I feel like if she had life insurance we would not have struggled for food or clothes. I think I wouldn't have to be in survivor mode. I would be fine and my sister would not have turned to drugs. To provide for myself and my family even though I was 13 I would beg strangers for food to make sure my niece and nephews ate. I would go to the gas station to see if I could pump gas for change just to get something to eat for us that day. The loss of my mom impacted my college plans because I wanted to continue her dream of getting an education. Going through my traumatic situation and being given an opportunity to be successful has made me realize that nothing can stop me. I know that she is watching me from heaven. My ability to even apply to college was her being my motivation to never stop. My ability to afford college was her telling me to get grades in school. I now have a 3.82 GPA. The degree I would like to have is a Nursing degree so that I can save people from respiratory issues, and any other medical conditions. I think of her daily I always look to the sky for her guidance.

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