Special Delivery of Dreams Scholarship

I was shocked to see a scholarship like this! I can honestly say that I am closet stamp collector. I have been collecting stamps for 40 years. I really got into it about 25 years ago, but admit I did drift out of this. I have never shared this story, but I got into Stamps because of my grandfather! I am proud to say that he was so into stamps that he was named in a stamp almanac many years ago for his extensive collection. His name is Edward J Dormer and before he passed he sold his collection. I don't know exactly for how much as it was 20 years ago but I know it was in the six figures. When I was a kid growing up, my grandfather would give me cards of stamps some holding a dozen stamps and it is safe to say I have maybe a dozen cards that I have collected over the years. One day a few years ago, I went though every stamp and looked up what they were worth. It took me a few days to complete and I think I might do that again in the near future. This is fun to talk about. To answer your first question, I have spent over 20 years in IT. I have been laid off 7x while many of my friends have retired from companies that I worked at 20 years ago and it is painful when I congratulate them. They got lucky they didn't get laid off like I did. This has lead to the fact that I have nothing to show for my hard work. I have no 401k, pension or retirement. So after this last layoff I decided to make a career change. I wasted over 20 years in IT, pushing myself in highly stressful situations where at the end I have nothing to show for the work I did. I guess that is my own fault but the fact that I have been laid off 7x means I have no pension, 401k, stock or any other retirement. I am blessed to have friends in the trades. Over the years I have done residential painting, framing and plumbing. However, I have had the most fun and really enjoy welding. I am currently going to PPSC and working on getting my certificates. I finished my MIG training this Fall and got that certificate, now I am working on my Stick welding and plan to get that certificate at the end of Spring 2025. I want to learn welding because it offers both practical skills and creative freedom. Welding is an essential trade that opens up a variety of career opportunities, from construction to manufacturing and even art. I’m drawn to the idea of being able to work with different metals and materials to create something both functional and aesthetically unique. It’s a hands-on skill that requires precision, focus, and problem-solving, all of which appeal to me. I never stop learning and work to learn something new everyday. Moreover, welding is a versatile skill that can be applied in many different areas. Whether it's repairing machinery, building structures, or designing sculptures, the possibilities are endless. It also offers the satisfaction of knowing I’ve built something with my own hands. On a personal level, I’m excited about the challenge of learning a new craft, especially one that involves such a blend of technical knowledge and creativity. I look forward to day I can drive around town with my family and say 'I worked on that bridge, building, gate, or handrail'!

One problem I have overcome in my life has been the mental challenges I faced through sports. There were many moments of self-doubt, pressure to perform, and setbacks that tested my confidence. I learned eventually that things needed to change, and I entered the transfer portal. This was honestly the best decision I made for myself, and I have learned a lot along the way about myself and others. I don't need to rely on people's opinions to function well. I have learned to trust my own instincts and opinions about myself in order to get my confidence back. Sports taught me resilience, mental toughness, and how to grow from a lack of confidence rather than crumble from it. Those lessons continue to shape how I approach academics, leadership, and life challenges. I am planning to enter the medical field after I finish school. I don’t know exactly what career I want to pursue yet, but I want to prepare myself as best I can for opportunities. I would like to do graduate school after receiving my bachelor's, focusing more on cardiology. I have had a couple of opportunities to shadow ultrasound techs, cardiology physician assistants, and cardiac nurses, and I really enjoyed all I saw. I want to be able to help people, whether it's putting stents in their hearts or just checking for blockages in veins and arteries; it's where my passion is. Even in just two years of college, I have learned so much, but I am eager to learn even more, which is how I know graduate school is for me. It's a challenging career path that will require a lot of patience and resilience, but my background in sports should well prepare me for it. Stamp collecting has influenced my life in a deeply personal way because it connects me to my grandad. What began as a hobby has become something meaningful that we share, teaching me patience, attention to detail, and an appreciation for history and culture. Every stamp tells a story, representing different historical figures, events, and artistic styles from regions around the world, and a good portion of my childhood comes from sitting with him, flipping through albums, and learning together. As a student, I believe stamp collecting is a hobby that younger generations need to rediscover. In today’s world, where technology has made email the primary form of communication because it is fast, convenient, and easily accessible, traditional mail is used less frequently. When I need quick updates about classes, packages, or assignments, email is always the easiest solution. To achieve the best of both worlds, I believe one way to revive interest in stamps is by adapting them to the digital age—imagine being able to insert a virtual stamp onto every email or creating an online platform where users could design and organize their own digital stamp collections. By blending tradition with technology, we can preserve the storytelling and artistry of stamps while making them relevant to a new generation.

I want to thank the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library for choosing me as a finalist last year. I appreciate I have another opportunity to apply. This past year has continued with changes in my life since my divorce. I now live in an apartment with my daughter. We have had to go to food banks on occasion, but I am thankful for the food that was provided to us. My online college classes started out very rocky since I had not developed proficient computer skills while being a stay-at-home mom, but I received additional computer training from the college and now I am doing much better in my classes. I find myself drawing on my life experiences to help deal with obstacles I still face. Going back to school and being financially on my own are two of my biggest fears, but I face them knowing with my continued education, I do have a brighter future ahead. This past year I started a weekly Bible study in the apartment complex where I live. At first, only my immediate family attended to give me their attendance support. However, through the months some of my friends and people from the apartment complex have also started attending. Our group continues to be very active and friendships are being made. I am reaching out and inviting the people from the Bible study to visit my church. By introducing them to a spiritual way of life, which is so important in helping to deal with today’s society, it is a way for me to give back to the community. We do things together as a group like pack boxes for Samaritan’s purse to ship to under privileged countries for Christmas gifts to kids. Applying for your library scholarship last year made me interested in starting my own stamp collection. My collection is topical stamps. The topics I have started to collect are what interest me such as nature, dogs and the holidays, especially Christmas! To add to my collections, I mainly watch for stamps that arrive on mail that is sent to me. I asked my family to save their stamps for me too. During Christmas, I was able to cut Christmas stamps off of the envelopes to save. I went to the United States Postal Service website to learn more about the 2025 Christmas stamps which included “images that evoke scenes of the season.” I also read about the 2024 Christmas stamps. I loved their color and the joyful feeling of them. The site described the design of the four stamps in detail and stated they were “inspired by folk art that create a modern graphic look”. Then I did more research and found there is an online Christmas Philatelic Club. Their website, along with your website, has helped introduce me to this hobby. I see collection terms I know nothing about such as: used or mint, blocks, booklets, sheets and covers, which have nothing to do with bedding! My next step will be coming to the library to help me learn more about stamp collecting and to find stamps to add to my collections. I joined your library this year and as a member and since you have volunteers, I hope to offer some time over my college breaks. Hopefully, I will be able to meet many of you who serve on the scholarship committee. My daughter keeps asking me when she can come as well so I can’t wait to bring her also next time! Thank you for your consideration in awarding this scholarship to me for my continued education.

Like many people, my life has not been easy. I was born to addict parents who put me in situations no child should experience, no matter what their age. Thankfully, I was raised by my loving grandparents from the age of four until I was 13 years old. However, whenever I spent time with either one of my parents, I was placed in questionable situations. At times I rummaged through empty cabinets for something to ease my hunger pains. Other times I would shield my eyes from adult images that continuously played on the tv in one of my parent's rooms, and many times I witnessed my parents being arrested. Over the years I saw a great deal of abuse, both substance abuse and physical abuse. One parent was often abused or acting as the abuser. As a teenager one of my parents would not allow me to return home, and I found myself quasi-homeless. Then as an adult I faced one of my parents, high on drugs, as they screamed in my face saying they wished I would die. After such difficult experiences, many people expected I would become an addict like my parents, but I am proud to say, I overcame that expectation! I knew what my life would look like if I chose a life of substance abuse like my parents did. Instead, I chose a different path! The funds from this scholarship will help me ease the financial stress associated with college education and allow me to pursue my bachelor's degree in English. Upon competition of my degree, it's my plan to enter into the world of book publishing where I can work with books and share my love of literature with children in my community and the world! Currently, work with at-risk teens who reside at our academy. A large part of my job is to teach teens life-skills and life coping skills. It's a huge blessing that my role permits me to share my passion for books permitting me to run a teen-based book club! Not only am I able to read to them and with them, but I also facilitate meaningful discussions around the sometimes-challenging themes of the books we are read. Another passion of mine is stamp collecting. I've been collecting stamps since I was 10 years old, and while I do not know how many stamps I have, I do have some really special stamps that once belonged to my great-grandparents. Recently, I added stamps to my collection from my grandmother's trip to Italy, as well as a beautiful vintage three-cent Edgar Allan Poe stamp that I believe to be from 1949. As a literature lover, this is by far my favorite stamp in my collection! I'm excited to say that I'm able to also incorporate teaching teens about the joys of stamp collecting while teaching them about life skills. While distributing mail to the teens at our academy, I often comment on the beautiful stamps and let them know how neat they are. This is a simple way of opening up the conversation to stamp collecting and the history behind stamps. Stamp collecting is a wholesome activity and a great way for these teens who are coming to us from some very rough backgrounds to focus their thoughts on something they can enjoy that's not screen related. Joy is contagious! I love sharing the things that bring me happiness- especially books and collecting stamps, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to share both with the teens I work with!

Growing up as a young Black male in a tough neighborhood, I faced many challenges that could have easily derailed my life. But despite the obstacles, I persevered and overcame one of the biggest hurdles: finding purpose and direction. One of the darkest moments was when my family lost our home due to foreclosure. We had to move to a shelter, and I felt like my world was crumbling. But in that shelter, I discovered a small stamp collection that belonged to a volunteer. She showed me the different countries, designs, and stories behind each stamp. For the first time, I saw a world beyond my circumstances. Philately became my escape and passion. I spent hours learning about different cultures, histories, and achievements. It taught me about resilience, diversity, and the beauty of connection. I realized that even in the darkest moments, there is always hope and beauty to be found. This scholarship would be a game-changer for me. It would allow me to pursue my dreams, give back to my community, and inspire others to find their purpose. I plan to create a philately program for underprivileged youth, providing them with the same opportunity that I had. I want to show them that there's a world beyond their circumstances, that they too can overcome adversity and achieve greatness. To encourage young people to pursue philately, I would share my story and show them how it changed my life. I would organize workshops, exhibitions, and mentorship programs, highlighting the fun and educational aspects of stamp collecting. I would also partner with schools and community centers to make philately accessible to all. Through philately, I found my voice, my purpose, and my passion. This scholarship would enable me to pay it forward, empowering others to do the same. Together, we can create a ripple effect of hope, resilience, and beauty – one stamp at a time. Now as Grown adult that is still learning and pursuing better career growth, another one of my main goals is to give my children better opportunities than I had. I strongly believe parents can shape their children futures. Teaching them resilience, and to manage stress is a must for me. Those two things were taught to me by my family and I can completely point to that and say that's why I'm still here today. Giving up is not an option. Failures are not Failures, but instead they are opportunities to learn.

Like many people, my life has not been easy. I've faced many adversities from the time I was born until this present day. I was born to two addict parents who put me in situations no child should ever experience, no matter what their age. Thankfully, I was raised by my loving grandparents from the age of four until I was 13 years old. However, whenever I spent time with either one of my parents, I was continuously placed in questionable situations. At times I was left with strangers that I didn't know or left in a vehicle, at night, outside of an apartment complex where I cried myself to sleep while one of my parents went inside to meet a friend. Over the years I witnessed a great deal of abuse; substance abuse in the form of drugs and alcohol, as well as my parents either being physically abused or acting as the abuser. As a teenager one of my parents would not allow me to come home, and I found myself quasi-homeless. As an adult I faced my parent, high on drugs, as they screamed in my face saying they wished I would die. After such difficult experiences, many people expected I would become an addict like my parents, but I am happy to say, I overcame that expectation! I saw what my life would look like if I choose to abuse substances like my parents, and I decided to take a different path and live a life free from drugs and alcohol. The funds from this scholarship will help me give back to the community by easing the financial stress of my education and allow me to pursue my degree in English. Once I've obtained my English degree, I plan on pursuing a career in book publishing, but I would also like to share the love of books with children by tutoring young children in reading and tutoring middle and high school children in literary analysis. I currently homeschool my own four children and often teach them the very things I'm learning about in college, hoping that a deep love of literature will grow with them from a very young age. I currently give back to my community by donating farm fresh eggs to families, friends, and even strangers in my area who are in need. I love stamps! I've been collecting stamps since I was 10 years old, and while I do not know how many stamps I have, I do have some really special stamps that once belonged to my great-grandparents. I would encourage young people to pursue philately by sharing unique or vintage stamps with them and ask them to explore the interesting history behind the stamps. Just the other day I found some unused forever postcards from the early 1980's! I'm so excited for my children to use them and send them to their pen pals in hopes that they will also cultivate a love of stamps.

On a sunny, beautiful November day of 2020, my oldest child, Kata was just enjoying the 15th year of her life. An active competitive swimmer since the age of four, she was dedicated and focused on what she knew best: racing. What she did not know was that she was about to step on the block against her greatest enemy, swimming a race for her life. On this day, my parental instinct was telling us that something was awfully wrong: Kata was in too much pain, more than usual practices and races bring on. We ended up in the ER - for the second time. With faith and hope in the doctors, we were shooting for a solution to her pain, but what we got instead was a misdiagnose. Or probably an ultrasound technician's incompetence - we shall never know. But, in another 24-hour time, we got the answer to our worst nightmare: stage 4 soft-tissue cancer. Inoperable. The world, the heart, the mind, everything stopped in place for a fraction of time. Then we dove in. At first, I stumbled, I did nothing but stumble, hesitate, doubt, mumble, and panic, and felt like sinking to endless bottoms. But, as we moved on in treatments, ups-downs, therapies, and so much more, I found myself automatically enrolled in a school, more of a college I would have never thought I would enroll in: the medical school of life. In my case, it was pediatric cancer. By profession, I am an elementary and language teacher, and I worked in my profession in Romania before moving to the United States. Learning, and reading, therefore, were second nature to me. During the process, I often found myself contemplating how I could repay all those who stood by us this entire time. I needed to find something. Then, one day, it finally occurred to me as I kept on going back to the root of the problem: the misdiagnosis, the ultrasound exam, and the misinterpreted two large tumors. Then, I decided that I have to do something about it. So, 28 years after graduating, I decided to enroll in becoming an ultrasound technician. My goal is simple and clear: I must ensure that I will be the best prepared, most knowledgeable, and most qualified for this profession. For an educator like me who has never desired to work in a hospital environment and never intended to operate medical equipment, this is the greatest purpose, challenge, and goal. My desire is to work in the pediatric field and become a reliable professional. This scholarship would certainly take a tremendous burden off my family's shoulders, and it would become the greatest milestone in my personal life. Our cancer journey taught me the hard way how to stand up for people I love but also for those who are experiencing hardship and difficulties in life. In the end, without even realizing how much I lead instead of being led, I was ready to tear down any obstacle, break down every wall, and lead my child out of this nightmare called pediatric cancer.

On this day, November 19th, 2020, my oldest child, Kata was just enjoying the 15th year of her life. An active competitive swimmer since the age of four, she was dedicated and focused on what she knew best: racing. What she did not know was that she was about to step on the block against her greatest enemy, swimming a race for her life. On this day, my parental instinct was telling us that something was awfully wrong: Kata was in too much pain, more than usual practices and races bring on. We ended up in the ER - for the second time. With faith and hope in the doctors, we were shooting for a solution to her pain, but what we got instead was a misdiagnose. Or probably an ultrasound technician's incompetence - we shall never know. But, in another 24-hour time, we got the answer to our worst nightmare: stage 4 soft-tissue cancer. Inoperable. The world, the heart, the mind, everything stopped in place for a fraction of time. Then we dove in. At first, I stumbled, I did nothing but stumble, hesitate, doubt, mumble, and panic, and felt like sinking to endless bottoms. But, as we moved on in treatments, ups-downs, therapies, and so much more, I found myself automatically enrolled in a school, more of a college I have never thought I would enroll in: the medical school of life. In my case, it was pediatric cancer. By profession, I am an elementary and language teacher, and I worked in my profession in Romania before moving to the United States. Learning, and reading, therefore, were second nature to me. During the process, I often found myself contemplating how I could repay all those who stood by us this entire time. I needed to find something. Then, one day, it finally occurred to me as I kept on going back to the root of the problem: the misdiagnosis, the ultrasound exam, and the misinterpreted two large tumors. Then, I decided that I have to do something about it. So, 28 years after graduating, I decided to enroll in becoming an ultrasound technician. My goal is simple and clear: I must ensure that I will be the best prepared, most knowledgeable, and most qualified for this profession. For an educator like myself who has never desired to work in a hospital environment and never intended to operate medical equipment, this is the greatest purpose, challenge, and goal. My desire is to work in the pediatric field and become a reliable professional. This scholarship would certainly take a tremendous burden off my and my family's shoulders, as I still care for our fragile daughter. My hobbies and interests are designed to be in relation to what I pursue and dream about. I am an avid reader and an eternal proofreader. But beyond these, I enjoy spending a fraction of my time riding my motorcycle or cooking-baking for my family. Nevertheless, being with my children though is my life, my hobby, my everything.