Nick Summerlee, a high school dropout and Iraq War who has since "battled mental illness," now has his bachelor of science in Biology thanks to the support he received at University of Detroit Mercy.

"The only reason I finished this degree was because of the support from the people at Detroit Mercy," Summerlee told the University of Detroit Mercy. "I'm 99.9% sure that if I went to any other university I don’t think I would have completed my degree and be where I'm at right now."

He enrolled at Detroit Mercy after he earned an associate's degree at a community college. Summerlee and immediately found a community of support, just when he so desperately needed it. He started off with a "deep depression" that landed him in and out of hospital, the university reported.  

"I went through the worst depression of my life, it was terrible," Summerlee told the university. "It got to the point where I was probably going to end my life, to be honest. I was seeking psychiatric treatment at the VA and unfortunately, through a misdiagnosis, they put me on a medication I shouldn’t have been on and it really had some terrible side effects."

He credited Detroit Mercy professors and others for getting him through the depression, earning his degree and renewing his faith. Summerlee told the university he now plans to attend medical school and become a psychiatrist.