Ameritas awards $5,000 Life Lessons scholarship

LINCOLN, Nebraska  – In partnership with Life Happens, Ameritas has awarded Damien Duff a $5,000 college scholarship to further his education at Somerset Community College in Somerset, Kentucky, where he is majoring in criminal justice.

The Life Lessons scholarship program is designed to encourage college students and college-bound high school seniors to share their personal experiences regarding the importance of life insurance coverage. Each qualified applicant submitted a 500-word essay or a three-minute video discussing how the death of a parent or guardian has affected their life financially.

Duff lost his mother when he was seven years old. Thinking he wouldn’t have to experience the tragedy of losing a parent again, he lost his father at age 10. With no life insurance, his grandparents were left paying for two funerals, and taking on the responsibility of caring for four young children.

“By the time I was 15 years old, my grandfather’s health was in serious decline and he had a heart attack followed shortly by a series of strokes,” explains Duff. “My grandmother became his caretaker and, at the age of 16, I moved out and got my first job. It was then that I realized if I was going to fulfill my parent’s dream of their son going to college, I was going to have to do it on my own.”

Duff says he wonders about the “what ifs” of his life, such as what might have been had his parents planned for their children’s future.

“With the help of the scholarship, I will know that I am fulfilling their dream of one of their children making a better life for themselves. And then, maybe I can finally wake up from the nightmare that started over eight years ago.”