Carla M. Champagne Memorial Scholarship

Volunteer work has always been an integral part of my life. From an early age, my mom taught me the vitality of helping others. She shaped me to be the person I am today, and for that, I am proud. Growing up with pets, I had always found myself drawn to their comfort and unwavering love. I share this quality and love for animals with my mom. After working as an audiologist for several years, she decided to return to school to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. I have always admired her dedication, ambition, and love for animals. She inspires me and I can attribute much of my character and drive to her. As I grew older, my love for animals continued to expand and so did my desire to help animals in need. On my tenth birthday, I invited a few of my friends to go ice skating, but asked that they bring donations for a local animal shelter in lieu of gifts. I collected a handful of donations, which included cat and dog food, toys, beds, and cleaning supplies. The next day, my mom, cousin, and I visited the shelter to donate the items I had collected. My desire to help others through acts of service blossomed that day. I had never felt more accomplished. From that point, I continued my path of volunteer work by altar serving at my church, helping at COVID clinic drives, and assistant coaching a young travel softball team. As a coach of this team, I use my knowledge and love of the sport to educate and help develop aspiring young athletes. This position has taught me many vital leadership and collaboration skills by enabling me to form a unified, successful team. In my junior year of high school, I challenged myself by taking my first college-level course. For one of the class’ long-term assignments, I was asked to address a problem in my community and take specific action to solve that problem. After hearing about the lack of cages at Gardner Animal Shelter, my two friends and I decided that we would raise money to buy new cat cages, in order to utilize all available space and make room for more needy animals to get accepted into the shelter. I led my group in organizing two fundraising raffles, advertising our project, and researching and ordering cages. My group and I also had the opportunity to be interviewed by a news reporter of the Gardner newspaper and had an article published on our project efforts. By the conclusion of the project, we had raised a total of $8,500 to buy 11 new cages to add to the previously existing four-cage cat room. Through pure determination and hard work, this year-long project challenged me to make a serious impact in my community. I learned critical responsibility and leadership skills that will prove useful throughout my lifetime. My mom has always been an inspiration for me. She encourages me to give back to my community through volunteer work. Everything I do, everything that I am is because of her. She sparked a desire in me to pursue a service oriented career, where I can help others through my work. I plan to attend a four-year college institution to major in biology and will then go into a field of medicine or service, where I can help people through my profession. I want to make a difference in this world. I want to make a difference like my mom does.

Volunteering and having the opportunity to help others has been, and will continue to be, an endeavor that I work towards. As a baseball player, I know all about the importance of community and giving back to the people who value our efforts. At 16 years old, I worked as a camp counselor for an initiative known as “Summer Up”, a summer program funded by Mount Wachusett Community College in my home city of Gardner, MA. Alongside my younger brother, Danny, we worked with troubled youth providing them with food and keeping them engaged with an array of activities. I hosted various whiffle ball and kickball tournaments that were “hits” with the kids while my brother played basketball. On hotter days, we showed the kids how to play Uno and Yahtzee. It was a humbling experience that made me grateful for what I have in my life. Before I graduated high school, my best friend Jake assisted me in running a showcase for a local little league organization. The head coach adored us and the parents were amazed at how we worked with their kids. They were asking us questions about how to get better at baseball, what it takes to get to our level, and if we were ever going to the MLB. As an avid gym goer at 18, I told the kids that if they work hard in the classroom, the weight room, and become the best versions of themselves every day, anything is possible. I even had a 12 year old girl ask me if she’ll ever get a chance to play high school baseball. I told her, “outwork the boys who don’t want it as much as you, and you’ll be surprised at what you can achieve.” Her parents loved that. I’ll be graduating from Northern Vermont University Lyndon in 2024 with a bachelors in Sports Management, and I aspire to get my masters in Athletic Leadership. After my playing days are up, I want to coach baseball full time. I’m passionate about the game, and the impact is has on everyone who takes the field. I want to help young men and women by showing them that they can achieve greatness through hard work as well living a healthy and happy life. This is my mission, and it’s bigger than the game I love. Thank you for your time and consideration. Receiving this scholarship would be an honor.