Mountainside Treatment Center Awards Brighter Future Scholarship to Connecticut High School Student
Woodbury, NJ – Mountainside Treatment Center is proud to award $13,000 in Brighter Future Scholarships to 13 high school students from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania whose lives have been impacted by substance abuse.
Launched in 2021, Mountainside created the scholarship program to foster addiction awareness and help affected individuals further their education and pursue their life goals. Since then, nearly 40 individuals facing the challenges of substance use have received over $35,000 in scholarships, empowering them to build brighter futures.
Mountainside received hundreds of submissions this year - many with similar themes ranging from stories about personal struggles, family members impacted by addiction, and social media dependency. Many applicants have used the application process as a therapeutic outlet to share their experiences, demonstrating a commitment to overcoming challenges.
Claire Suttles, Woodbury CT resident, and student at Nonnewaug High School, was among one of the 13 scholarship recipients. In her submission, Suttles talks about how she turned her family member’s struggle with addiction into a positive learning experience.
In 2023, over 1,300 people in Connecticut lost their lives to drug overdoses. “All across the country, we are witnessing the harmful effects of the opioid epidemic. This scholarship shows young adults that their voice is powerful and crucial for change and that there is hope for a brighter and better future ahead” says Andre Basso, Chief Executive Officer of Mountainside.
Mountainside hopes the Brighter Future Scholarship can provide financial support to even more teens and young adults who have been impacted by addiction as well as spark conversations across communities. For more information about the scholarship and to read this year’s winning essays, please visit: https://mountainside.com/scholarships/brighter-future/