The Melanie Foundation Scholarship

The Melanie Foundation Scholarship is sponsored by The Melanie Foundation. This annual scholarship is for graduate students in mental health-related fields enrolled in accredited programs.

The Melanie Foundation was created in 2006 to honor the life and legacy of Melanie Merola O’Donnell, with the mission to foster support for mental health issues. Melanie lived a life of giving, focusing her career on relieving suffering inflicted by mental illness. Melanie died at the age of 33 while in the midst of doctoral studies in psychology.

Her family and friends subsequently collaborated to bring The Melanie Foundation to life, with the initial goal of providing scholarships to graduate students in a mental health field. Since 2009, The Melanie Foundation has awarded a scholarship in her name to an outstanding post-graduate student in the field of mental health. A portion of funds raised from each Saratoga Palio race was also donated to local nonprofit organizations.

## Applying for the Scholarship The Melanie Foundation Scholarship is a $2,500 scholarship awarded to a candidate pursuing a doctoral or master’s degree in the mental health field. The scholarship is awarded for one year. Candidates may reapply for additional years.

* Currently enrolled in a graduate program majoring in the mental health field in the United States. * Programs must be accredited by one or more of the following credentialing agencies: ACGME, APA, CACREP, CSWE, COAMFTE. * Provide evidence of past involvement in extracurricular, volunteer, research, and/or career-related activities.

* Curriculum vitae, including email address. PDF preferred. * Unofficial undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts.

Official transcripts may be requested later. PDF preferred. * Two letters of reference from adults who have known the candidate for more than one year.

At least one should be from a professional in the mental health field, and another from someone who has known the candidate for five years or more. * A typed, double-spaced essay of no more than two pages describing how your experiences in the mental health profession have shaped your life and how you will use your education to assist communities in a manner consistent with Melanie Merola O’Donnell’s values.

Reference letters should be emailed directly to melaniescholarship@live. com with the applicant’s name in the subject line. > “You yourself, as much as anyone in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

” > “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples. ” > “If we all did things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves. ” Applications are due each year by March 5.

Scholarship recipients will be personally notified and publicly announced by June 30. All other applicants will be notified electronically. All application materials must be sent together as a PDF in one email, with reference letters arriving separately with the applicant’s name in the subject line.

If documents exceed the amount of space allowed in one email, multiple emails may be sent during the same time frame so they arrive together. Questions and materials may be sent to melaniescholarship@live. com.

_The Melanie Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, Vietnam-era or disabled veteran status in its selection process. The Melanie Foundation does not collect information from site visitors, only from scholarship applicants. Applicant information is used exclusively to select scholarship recipients.

_ ## Scholarship Recipients The mission of The Melanie Foundation is to provide financial assistance to graduate students in the mental health field. Each year scholarships are awarded in Ms. O’Donnell’s name to promote her legacy of helping others through the exercise of wisdom and compassion.

Scholarship recipients advance the Foundation’s mission by devoting their energies and talents to the needs of victims, emergency management professionals, and health care practitioners.

### 2026 Recipient of Melanie Merola O’Donnell Memorial Scholarship at Saratoga Springs High School University of North Carolina Charlotte MGH Institute of Health Professions Virginia Commonwealth University Saratoga Springs High School Recipient Chaminade University of Honolulu UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Saratoga Springs High School Recipient Washington University in St.

Louis George Washington University George Washington University * **Mallory Mitzvitowicz** George Washington University Metropolitan State University Middle Tennessee State University Colorado State University California State University, Sacramento Middle Tennessee State University College of Social Work at Ohio State University The Chicago School of Psychology Antioch University New England * **Andrea Wierzchowski** The Melanie Foundation’s most significant fundraiser, The Saratoga Palio, was a signature event in Saratoga each fall from 2006 until 2020.

Its success helped The Melanie Foundation expand its support of aspiring mental health practitioners. The Saratoga Palio was a regional favorite, thanks to its breathtaking course through the heart of Saratoga Springs and the great cause it supported. With a certified 5K run/walk, a children’s run, and a certified half marathon, the Saratoga Palio was as exciting for families as it was for serious runners.