1) I come from a long family lineage of skilled trade workers. My grandfather, father, uncle and great uncle are all in the HVAC industry. I was given the opportunity to learn and work with my hands from a young age. From assisting in cleaning and working on furnaces to learning about installation and maintaining HVAC units, I fell in love with trouble shooting and being able to be “the guy” that can get things working. I have worked on units in our own home as well as worked on units in our community and assisted my dad on jobs in the field. I have been able to meet and talk to others in the field and have always been inspired to pursue a career in HVAC. This past summer I also worked for a HVAC distribution center. It gave me insight into what goes into a job and gave me an opportunity to interact with contractors. It seemed to be a field where I belonged. Recently the small town I live in Speedsville, NY was selected by Egg Geothermal to be a trial area for a community thermo energy network (TEN). A community geothermal system would provide heating and cooling for about 35-40 residents and/ or small businesses in my local community. With no natural gas options in my area, most of my neighbors rely on costly options like propane, fuel oil and electricity to heat their homes. Our community center, fire department, church and small local store are also impacted by the high energy costs. This project will be funded by NYSERDA, and would be life changing for my community. I have been able to attend meetings about the project and how it will work. I have been fascinated in learning about the types of systems, and how the project will evolve and move forward. Seeing this project evolve from its infancy, collecting baseline data etc to now seeing the proposed closed loop system plan, has really inspired me to focus my own HVAC career on green energy. 2) Wrestling has always been “my” sport. The summer before my junior year I was working really hard to get ready for the season. I was working out, lifting weights and was really in a good spot to have a competitive season and win our sectional title. One weekend before the season started I was in a work related accident and burnt over 10% of my body. I was transferred from our local hospital to a burn center. It took me a good part of the season to rehab and I fell short of my goal of making states that season. I took it in stride and kept working hard. I was in the gym everyday. I attended a ton of skills camps over the summer and my senior year I came in with something to prove! I never lost a home dual. I was the IAC champion and a NYS qualifier in one of the hardest brackets in the division. 3) My boss would tell you I’m the guy who always gives 110%. I show up early, stay late and really care about doing a quality job. I treat everyone with respect and I am always trying to learn and pick up new skills. I am honest, reliable and have great attention to detail. I am a good communicator, and take responsibility for my actions. I’m prepared and am ready to do any task presented to me. They would say I have a good work ethic, and they are confident in the work I do.

1) I come from a long family lineage of skilled trade workers. My grandfather, father and uncle and great uncle are all in the HVAC industry. I have seen first hand the quality of life it can provide for a family and was given the opportunity to learn and work with my hands from a young age. From assisting in cleaning and working on furnaces to learning about installation and maintaining HVAC units, I fell in love with trouble shooting and being able to be “the guy” that can get things working. This past summer I also worked for a HVAC distribution center. It gave me insight into what goes into a job and gave me an opportunity to interact with contractors. It seemed to be a field I belonged in. I have been accepted to Alfred State College in Alfred, NY where I plan to study HVAC. I will also be in their wrestling team. 2) After graduation I would like to take time to immerse myself in the trade and learn all I can. I hope to one day be a mentor and educator to others. I am very passionate about green energy systems and may look to continue my degree further into HVAC engineering. 3) I have been wrestling for as long as I can remember. It has always been the sport I have loved and excelled in. Going into my junior year, I had been putting in the work. I was stronger, faster, conditioned, and fully expecting it to be the best year of my high school career. Unfortunately about a month before my season was to start I was working at my part time job. I was a dishwasher at a restaurant, and was involved in a work related accident that left me burned over 10% of my body. I was transferred from our local hospital to a burn center and I was out of wrestling for over a month. I worked very hard to rehab and get back to wrestling my junior year, but I fell short of my goals to make it to states. At the end of the season I promised myself I would make it to states and I would wrestle in college. I put in more work than ever during the off season. I was named wrestling captain my senior year and I came in with something to prove! I never lost a home dual. I was the IAC champion, class A champion and a sectional qualifier. At sectionals I had an unfortunate call that knocked me into wrestle backs, I was able to win the next 4 matches and wrestle all the way back to qualify for states! Not only did I make it to states, but I was very competitive winning 2 of my 4 matches. I also accepted a spot with Alfred State College on their wrestling team!

The dictionary defines an “underdog” as a competitor who has little chance at winning in a fight or competition. I have been the underdog my entire life. From a young age I have struggled with my weight. I began wrestling at the age of five and my weight had a direct impact on the matches I was presented with. In wrestling, matches are divided into weight classes. Unfortunately for me since I was always the “big kid” I had to wrestle kids much older than I was because of my weight. I really struggled with matches in my youth but continued to work hard in practice to learn skills to grow. Wrestling has always been the one thing that defined me. Even when no one else saw me as an athlete I saw myself as a wrestler. At the end of my modified wrestling season I only had won two matches and I struggled with my stamina. My coach was very transparent. He was concerned for my health, and was worried if I did not get my weight under control that I would not be able to wrestle at all next season since the bracket capped at 285 lbs. I wasn’t willing to give up on the sport I loved and I joined his running club. Our wrestling coach you see was also the cross country coach and he had a running club year round to keep kids in shape. Running is hard. Running when you’re almost 300 lbs is almost impossible, but I kept with it. That fall I joined the cross country team. We worked to set small goals and at the end of the season I finished my first 5k. From that day forward I finished every race! My senior year I was captain of our cross country team! All this work was for my true goal, to be a better wrestler! While most guys my size were playing football I was running a 5k every day. On the mat that translated to being faster and having more “gas in the tank” at the end of the matches. My sophomore year I had my first winning wrestling season. I attended wrestling clubs and camps and worked really hard. I took all the feedback given and continued to make gains. I started working with a personal trainer and lifting. I knew my junior year was my year! About a month before my season was to start I was working at my part time job. I was a dishwasher at a restaurant, and was involved in a work related accident that left me burned over 10% of my body. I was transferred from our local hospital to a burn center and I was out of wrestling for over a month. I worked very hard to rehab and get back to wrestling my junior year, but I fell short of my goals to make it to states. At the end of the season I promised myself I would make it to states and I would wrestle in college. I put in more work than ever during the off season. I was named wrestling captain my senior year and I came in with something to prove! I never lost a home dual. I was the IAC champion, class A champion and a sectional qualifier. At sectionals I had an unfortunate call that knocked me into wrestle backs, I was able to win the next four matches and wrestle all the way back to qualify for states! I also accepted a spot with Alfred State College on their wrestling team!

Middle and high school can be hard for everyone. They are especially hard when you're perceived as being "different". I have been the "big guy" my whole life. When the COVID pandemic hit, I was kept home most of my 8th grade year. This kept me from participating in sports, which ultimately led to me gaining even more weight. This contributed to my depression. Depression is so hard because it leaves you physically and mentally exhausted. This can contribute to unhealthy life choices. For some people it is drugs or alcohol, for me it was food. I would try to smile, crack jokes about myself before others could, but on the inside I was dying. My self esteem was lower than it had ever been and I pretty much was spending most of my days in my room. I was so anxious about going back to school and starting my 9th grade year. I had been tormented by classmates and teammates before the pandemic being called names like "fat" or "slow" and being told that I am "too big to play sports" or "not a real athlete" because of my weight. I was now bigger than I had ever been and I knew it would be that much worse. Wrestling also has weight restrictions and I was forced with the reality that I may be forced to give up a sport I love because I was over the allowed weight limit to wrestle in high school. I made a decision that I didn't want to give up on wrestling. I decided that I was going to set a goal to make weight to wrestle on the high school team. I knew that it was not going to be an easy road. I decided in the fall to "run" cross country. The HS wrestling coach is also the cross country coach, and was my 7th grade social studies teacher. He let me join the team and took me under his wing. He made me feel safe on that team. We set small goals and I kept working at it. Running is hard, running when you are over 300lbs is AWFUL. My first few months, I felt like I was dying! My legs always hurt, my chest would feel heavy and I felt like I was baking in the sun every time I would try to run. I didn't finish a race for the first 2 months of the season. The last race of the season was hosted at our school. That day I felt a burn I had never felt before. It was like all those kids who called me "fat" "slow" and "unathletic" were right behind me. I used that to keep pushing myself even though I wanted to give up. I knew the physical pain I was feeling as I ran was nothing compared to the mental pain I felt every time those kids cut me down. I used that to push myself and I finished my first race that day. It may not have been fast but I did it in front of everyone who doubted me. That day I made a promise to myself that I would never stop chasing my goals even if they seem impossible. I have finished over 40+ races in the last 4 years. I became captain of the cross country and wrestling team. I became an IAC wrestling champion and sectional qualifier! And I was recruited to wrestle in college, my ultimate childhood dream! I still have bad days but I also know I can keep going and I am worth it!

My name is Austin DeBolt. I am a senior at Newark Valley High School. I grew up in a blue collar family where my mother was a registered nurse and my father, grandfather, and uncle were all HVAC technicians. Growing up I have found that I am talented with using my hands and have a good mechanical thought process when it comes to troubleshooting. Working with my father and my grandfather I started doing minor HVAC installs and found it fascinating. To further explore my passion I spent my summer working at a local HVAC supply house. This allowed me to learn all the different types of equipment and tools that are required to work in this trade. Knowing that I have a passion for plumbing, heating and air conditioning. I have pushed myself to learn more about the theory behind this trade. The technology that is involved with the HVAC industry is constantly changing. Even today the way that we heat and cool our homes is ever evolving. The way that the technology is changing and the need for HVAC equipment to not only be dependable but also energy efficient. The push to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and lowering the nation's carbon footprint is a positive step in the right direction. I find this fascinating and want to prepare myself for a career in this industry where I can be truly cutting-edge and make a positive impact on this industry. My plans are to attend college at Alfred State College. Studying plumbing, heating & air conditioning. Getting my associate's degree in applied science. While I'm very excited about this opportunity, I also know that it takes lots of resources to be successful. Going to a trade college creates some unique challenges. Not only is there a cost of tuition, room/board, books and meal plans. We also have to buy all our own tools and have reliable transportation. These can cause some hurdles for me to accomplish my goal but I am very dedicated to be successful. A scholarship from the Grover Scholarship Fund would honestly be a huge benefit in me discovering my goals. My parents are very hard-working and make respectful wages, this however disqualifies them for some levels of financial aid. Making college costs even more difficult. I am hopeful that you would consider me for a scholarship. It truly would be life changing for me. Thank you for your consideration, Austin Warren DeBolt