BRANDON HILLAKER
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"OVERCOME OBSTACLES AND ACHIEVE SUCCESS BY CREATING GREATNESS FOR YOURSELF!"

​​I am diagnosed with bipolar I, borderline personality disorder (BPD), and ADHD. 
​
 In 2013 I acted on my thoughts of suicide. The problems I was trying to solve by ending my life inevitably created a whole new subset of obstacles in my life. 15% of people diagnosed with bipolar end their life by suicide 
Why, why did I choose to take my own life instead of finding help? 
Stigma… 

From 2013-2022, every day was a battle for my life. My bipolar reached a whole new dimension that I never even thought was possible. The amount of brain damage was simply unimaginable from the overdose. I was in the inpatient hospital 4-6 times a year fighting bipolar manic episodes, depression, intrusive thoughts, and psychosis. I was placed on over 40 medications in an 11-year time span.  I put myself through DBT, CBT, talk therapy, group therapy, and even physical therapy. 

In 2021 shortly after researching how to legally and medically kill myself through assisted suicide, because I was mentally and physically exhausted of losing the battle, I found a more homeopathic approach that simply made everything just click. All the therapy I went through simply made sense. 

​Because of my disabilities, I have always been told, “you are a hands-on learner” or, “you will never be a college student.”  My whole life I believed what everyone told me to be fact. So, I became an underwater welder.

In 2022, when I came back to school my goal was to simply to get a welding certificate and then get a job welding. That is when stigma punched me right in the face and changed my life forever. 

“Do I have to be worried about the other students in my class?” 

This was asked after I confided in a faculty member at Delta College that I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and bipolar. 
​
From that I day I decided to switch my major to psychology and to break stigma by achieving “Ideas of grandeur.”

Academic Certifications and Degrees
  • Certificate of Achievement in Welding Technology (May 2025, Delta College)
  • Advanced Writing Certification (May 2026, Delta College)
  • Associates in Arts Psychology Transfer Pathway (May 2026, Delta College)
 
Awards & Honors at Delta College
  • Dr. William R. Collings Graduate Award of Excellence for Academics & Citizenship (May 2026) The Dr. William R. Collings Award of Excellence, Delta College's highest recognition for graduates — honoring outstanding academic achievement, citizenship and leadership potential. Established in 1976 by Dow Corning, it honors Dr. Collings, a charter member of the Delta College Board of Trustees.
  • Highest Honors distinction (May 2026)
  • Honors Program Certificate (March 2026)
  • President’s Award for Excellence in Honors (March 2026)
  • Paul Moore Social Sciences Division Award (April 2026)
  • Margaret T. Timm English Graduate Award (May 2026
  • Kimberly R. Houston Leadership Endowment (November 2025)
  • Don Halog Emerging Writer Award (April 2024)
  • Skip Renker Writing Award (2025)
  • Liberal Arts Network for Development (LAND) Scholar (February 2026)
  • Caroline Gruenberg Wirtz Leadership Award (March 2026)
  • President's List (Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Winter 2025)
  • Vice President’s List (Winter 2024)
  • Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Member (January 2025-present)
 
Other Awards & Honors
  • NAMI Michigan Peer Support of the Year (April 2026)
  • United States Congressional Proclamation for the Tri for Hope (July 2025)
  • Michigan Rehabilitation Services Champion Award (October 2024)
  • Michigan Psychedelic Community Steward Award (September 2025)
​
Scholarships at Delta College
  • Michigan Sugar Scholarship (Fall 2024)
  • Honors Scholarship (April 2025)
  • Creative Dining Services Scholarship (Fall 2024)
  • Baxandall Scholarship (Winter 2023)
 
On-Campus Extra-Curricular Activities
  • Delta College Tri-Sport Club (President 2023-2026)
  • Delta College Psychology Club (member 2022-2023, President 2023-2025)
  • Honors Society (2023-present)
  • Phi Theta Kappa (2024-present)
  • Sigma Kappa Delta (2026-present)
 
Civic Engagement Project at Delta College
  • Green Ribbon Initiative
    • Biannual Mental Health Fair
    • Mental Health First Aid Training for faculty and staff
    • LivingWorks Suicide ASIST Training for faculty and staff
    • Fidget baskets on campus for student use
 
Mental Health Certifications
  • LivingWorks ASIST (May 2024)
  • LivingWorks safeTALK (December 2024)
  • Mental Health First Aid (February 2025)
 
Extended Learning
  • NAMI Connections Training for peer support group facilitation (November 2019)
  • Midwestern Psychological Association Conference (April 2024)
  • A Rally of Writers (April 2024)
  • American Red Cross Lifeguard/CPR/AED (September 2024)
  • Roethke Poetry Retreat (May 2025, May 2026)
  • Kevin’s Song Conference on Suicide (January 2024, January 2025, January 2026)
 
Community Service
  • Peer Support Facilitator for National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) (2019-present)
  • Lifeguard, Special Olympics (Winter 2025)
  • Lifeguard, Mackinac Island Swim (August 2025)
  • Volunteer, Saginaw Spirit Mental Health Awareness Night with Barb Smith Suicide Resource & Response Network (2025, 2026)
  • Volunteer, Barb Smith Suicide Resource & Response Network Walk for Hope (2024)
 
Athletic and Fundraising Activities
  • Mackinac Island Swim (August 2024)
  • Mackinac Bridge Swim (July 2025)
  • Completed the Tri for Hope, a 4-day, 400-mile triathlon (world record) (July 2025)
  • United States Congressional Proclamation honoring the Tri for Hope (July 2025)
  • Swam in the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim (August 2025)
  • Raised over $10,000 for non-profit organizations (Summer 2025)
  • Competed in 16 triathlons (2023-2025)
 
Public Speaking Engagements
  • Michigan State University for Michigan Community College Association Student Success Summit (March 2024)
  • Delta College Board of Trustees (June 2024)
  • Delta College (March 2025)
  • Mackinac Women's Club (June 2025)
  • Keynote Speaker – 2025 Walk for Hope (August 2025)
  • University of Michigan (September 2024, September 2025)
  • Michigan State Capitol (September 2025)
  • NAMI Middle Michigan (June 2025, November 2025)
  • Guest speaker in Abnormal Psychology courses at Delta College (2025-2026)
 
Media
  • Article: Big Day for Mental Health Awareness at Delta (Delta Collegiate, April 2024)
  • Article: Delta Student Fights Mental Health Stigma (Delta Collegiate, October 2024)
  • Article: Mental Health Fair Coming to Delta College (Delta Collegiate, April 2024)
  • Article: Tri for Hope: Running, Biking, and Swimming to Break the Stigma (Saginaw Township Living, February 2025)
  • Podcast: From Breakdown to Breakthrough: Brandon Hillaker on Mental Health, Movement, and Mission (The Level-Up Life: Muscle and Mindset Mastery, available on YouTube, May 2025)
  • News Interview: Tri for Hope: One Man’s Journey from Hell to Paradise (WNEM News, May 2025)
  • Radio Interview: Generating Gratitude with Joe Volk (WSGW, June 8, 2025)
  • News Interview: Michigan Man to Embark on 400-Mile Journey from Hell to Paradise (WLNS 6 News, June 2025)
  • News Interview: Tri for Hope: A 400-Mile Triathlon for Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Awareness (Fox 66/NBC 25, July 2025)
  • News Interview: Saginaw Man Taking Part in Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim (ABC12 News, August 2025)
  • Promotional: MyWay: Brandon Hillaker (Delta College, available on YouTube, November 2025)
  • Promotional: BWell Saginaw – Brandon Hillaker’s Story, Video #1 (Saginaw County Community Mental Health Authority, available on YouTube, November 2025)
  • Promotional: BWell Saginaw – Brandon’s Journey from Hell to Paradise (Saginaw County Community Mental Health Authority, available on YouTube, November 2025)
  • Radio Interview: Generating Gratitude with Joe Volk (WSGW, February 8, 2026)
  • Book: Monarch: Overcoming Obstacles through Mental-Morphosis (published February 2026)
  • Movie: Tri for Hope: From Hell to Paradise (released May 2026)
 
I will continue to be driven, motivated, and determined to continue working toward my goals to honor the memory of those who are not here anymore to fight this fight, for I am their Mental Health Champion. 
 
 
 
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  • Home
  • My Story
  • My Book
  • My Movie
  • Public Speaking
  • Media
  • Tri for Hope
  • Green Ribbon Initiative
  • Endurance Athletics
  • Talks & videos
  • Contact
  • New Page