Gabrielle Giambagno, a June graduate of High School South and a swimmer on the Hamilton Aquatic Club, has been named the first recipient of the Kenny Baker Memorial Scholarship (www.everybodyloveskenny.org), a new scholarship to be awarded annually to a senior who plans to work in the area of mental health awareness, or whose life, in some way, has been touched by mental health issues.
“I understand how hard it is for family and friends of anyone who is affected by mental illness and I am honored that I have been given this scholarship,” said Giambagno, who swam with Baker on the Hamilton Aquatic Club swim team for several years. She is entering Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., as a secondary education and social studies major.
In her winning essay for the scholarship, she wrote, “As a future teacher, I know that I will share Kenny’s story with my students. I know that I will make them feel comfortable to talk to me and others about mental illnesses. This is a problem that we cannot ignore.”
It has been just over a year since 19-year-old Kenny Baker, a resident of Plainsboro and a competitive swimmer himself, ended his long struggle with anxiety and depression by taking his own life. Since then, the Baker family has made it their mission to speak out about mental illness and to get others to do the same.
Ironically, the Bakers (Tricia and Kurt) first approached the WW-P high schools to award the scholarship through their swimming programs but were denied. “We have to change the stigma surrounding mental illness and we feel Gabrielle will be an important voice in making that happen, said Tricia Baker, Kenny’s mother.
“We congratulate Gabrielle and put forth this challenge to her: Be compassionate, understanding, and non-judgmental. Remember that no one chooses to be mentally ill. Mental illness does not discriminate. To the rest of the team, we ask you to remember Kenny and speak of him fondly. Talk openly about his illness. By starting one-on-one conversations, you can start to reverse attitudes toward mental illness. You can save lives. This is what Kenny would want for each of you to do.”
The scholarship presentation ceremony was held at the West Windsor home of Sue Welsh, head coach of the Hamilton Aquatic Club, who remembers Kenny as a talented swimmer and inspiration to his teammates. “We went to his services at the church as a team, as one, and we knew he would have wanted it that way,” she said. “It’s nice to know that through this scholarship, he’s living on.”
Also attending the ceremony was Celina Gray, executive director of the New Jersey Governor’s Council on Mental Health Illness Stigma. “In my travels across the state, I meet extraordinary young people doing extraordinary things in regard to mental health. By recognizing their accomplishments we inspire their continued good work and also inspire and engage the communities in which they live. We saw this happen when we awarded Katelyn Baker, (Kenny’s 17 year-old sister and a rising senior at High School North) our 2010 Ambassador Award.
“I am now honored to offer my best wishes to Gabrielle. The Bakers’ courage, strength, grace and generosity have been nothing less than extraordinary, and on behalf of the Council, I offer deepest gratitude to them for their efforts to raise awareness and bring the issue of mental health stigma to the fore.”
