Do you or Do you know someone who has struggled with Mental Health / Suicide? Give them the Gift of Education!!
The 5th Annual Alex Matthew Pettman Memorial Scholarship founded and established by Mark and Nancy Pettman in 2022 and administered by Mixed Roots Foundation in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Minnesota continues to honor in loving memory and serve as a tribute to their much loved son, brother, and uncle, Alex Matthew Pettman. Alex was the oldest brother of Mixed Roots Foundation's founder, Holly Choon Hyang Bachman along with her older brother Nathan Pettman in Owatonna, MN and so this specific scholarship will continue to be very close to her and her family's heart.
It was on Wednesday, October 27, 2021 when Alex unexpectedly died in Montgomery, Minnesota.
Alex graduated with honors from the Owatonna High School. Those who knew Alex have described him as quiet, gentle, intelligent, and stoic. He was also so well read; it was even joked that Alex was the family encyclopedia. If they wanted a fact, they would just ask Alex. His favorite pastime was playing games of strategy and he was hard to beat. He will be remembered for his dry sense of humor.
In his young adulthood, mental illness became a daily struggle which Alex faced bravely. He attended college for two years before it became too difficult for him to continue.
To help continue Alex's legacy, through Mixed Roots Foundation in partnership with NAMI in Minnesota,
We have updated the number of scholarships where now (3) individuals will be selected and awarded $1,000 each for the 5th Annual Alex Matthew Pettman Memorial Scholarship which winners will be announced at the end of the school year in May 2026 which is also recognized as National Mental Health Awareness Month.
This year's Scholarship winners will receive their check either hand delivered by Nancy Pettman for their graduation and/or at the NAMI Walk that takes place in Minneapolis, MN on September 26, 2026. We look forward to continuing Alex's legacy by supporting these individuals through Alex's scholarship and ultimately help them to start, continue or finish their education in which Alex was never able to do.
The overall mission and goals of this special and unique scholarship is not only to continue to raise awareness about mental health, but to hopefully encourage / inspire others to achieve their dreams and goals of education. We are excited and look forward to continuing to increase the amount of value and number of scholarships in the the future and hopefully expand our impact geographically, so that this very well needed scholarship will provide the critical support to continue to make a difference and improve more lives in the future.