Growing up in a blended family has shaped the person I am today in more ways than I can count. It's taught me that families do not have to look one certain way to be filled with love, support, and strength. Living in a blended family means learning how to communicate, adapt, and understand different perspectives. It has not always been easy, but the lessons I have learned from it have made me stronger, more patient, and more grateful for the people who believe in me. My family has always been my foundation. They've supported me through my ups and downs of school, baseball, and reminded me that hard work and heart matter more than anything else. I have a learning disability that makes reading and comprehension difficult, and there have been times when I've struggled to keep up. But my family never allowed me to use that as an excuse. They taught me to keep going, to ask for help, and to focus on my strengths. Their belief in me has helped me believe in myself, both in the classroom and on the baseball field. Baseball has been my passion for as long as I can remember. It is more than just a sport to me. It is where I learned leadership, perseverance, and discipline. Keeping my grades up so I can play has taught me responsibility and balance. Being part of a team has shown me how to encourage others, work hard, and stay humble. Those lessons have shaped my future goals and the kind of person I want to be. After high school, I plan to attend college to play baseball and major in sports management. My dream is to one day open my own training facility where I can help future athletes reach their full potential. I want to use my experience, the struggles, the lessons, and the victories to mentor young athletes. I want to teach kids that their challenges do not define them. A learning disability or coming from a blended or even a single-parent household will not hold you back. What matters is how we respond to those challenges. I may not know exactly where life will take me, but I do know that I want to use my talents to do good and make a difference in people's lives. Whether that is through coaching, mentoring, or simply being a positive example, I want to give back what so many people have given me: encouragement, guidance, and belief. Growing up in a blended family has shown me that love and perseverance can almost overcome anything. It has taught me that success comes from unity, support, and effort. With those lessons, I plan to build a future that helps others succeed, both on and off the field.

Baseball has always been more than a game to me. It's been my motivation to keep pushing forward, even when school felt impossible. Living with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has made ELA and reading comprehension especially hard, but baseball has taught me that challenges are meant to be faced, not avoided. Every inning, every at-bat, reminds me that hard work and persistence matter more than perfection. For as long as I can remember, reading and understanding complex texts have been my biggest academic hurdles. While other students seemed to grasp lessons quickly, I often needed extra time, support, and patience to catch up. There were times when I felt frustrated, and I even doubted myself. But a baseball taught me something school could not. Confidence. When I am on the field, I feel capable, focused, and free. The sport pushes me to give my best effort, no matter how many times I have to adjust or start over. That same mindset has helped me in the classroom. Baseball taught me that progress is earned one small step at a time. Maintaining my grades so I can continue to play has not always been easy, but it's been one of the best lessons I've learned. It taught me the importance of responsibility, effective time management, and how to ask for help when I need it. My coaches, teachers, and family have all been part of my support system, but ultimately, it's up to me to put in the work. I've learned that my learning disability does not define me. It just means I have to work harder to reach my goals. I am doing that every single day. This scholarship would mean more than financial help. It would be a reminder that my efforts are seen and valued. It would allow me to keep focusing on both my education and baseball without worrying as much about expenses. My dream is to play baseball at the college level while earning a degree that allows me to help others who face the same challenges. I want to show that having a learning disability does not have to stop anyone from achieving great things. It can actually make you stronger, more determined, and more compassionate. To me, "no limits" means refusing to let obstacles define your future. I have learned that success is not about being the best, it's about refusing to quit when things get hard. I may struggle with comprehension, but I've never struggled with heart, and I'll continue to prove that both on the field and in the classroom. This scholarship would help me keep proving that there are truly no limits to what I can accomplish

I lost my Uncle Kenny to a Fentanyl overdose in March of 2022. He struggled with his addiction for several years and at the time of his death had been clean for over a year. My Uncle Kenny was an avid athlete in his younger years in High School. Baseball was his favorite sport. Growing up, he would talk about how he made bad decisions, which kept him from fulfilling his dream of playing in college. He messed up his Senior year of High School by hanging out with the wrong crowd. Kenny would often tell me, "The choices you make now will affect you for the rest of your life. Choose wisely."Those words echo in my head. I have learned that drug addiction is a global epidemic. It does not discriminate. It creeps into the best of households and robs families of love and joy. The devil is at work in our world. The people who use drugs are not "junkies" as most people might think. You would never know my Uncle had a problem. He dressed nicely, had a good job, and a beautiful family. However, he had demands he couldn't escape. Research has been done on addicts, and most addicts suffer from sort of trauma growing up or a mental health problem. Treat the cause, and the addict can come to deal with what they are running from. So when you see an addict, instead of judging them, pray for them. Every time I step up to the plate to swing my bat, I think of my Uncle Kenny. The game I love that he loved so much. I hear his words echoing in my head, "Choose wisely, Cam." I am in my senior year of high school. I have learned that my circle of friends can make or break my future. You are what you hang out with. I got accepted into my dream college to play at the next level. It's a partial baseball scholarship. I am bound and determined to make it work financially. When I play my first game at the collegiate level, not only is it for me, but it is also for the Uncle who loved baseball. It is for the uncle who made a bad decision that cost him his dream. It is for all the other addicts who suffer from a mental illness. I'll swing my bat and pray for all the addicts in America, trusting that each swing carries a message of care and change.