My early life perfectly balanced school, family, and fun. Things changed drastically when my sister and I were diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Suddenly our lives revolved around illness. We spent over 100 days as inpatients at the hospital, where we underwent surgery and walked a long path to find effective medication. These circumstances shape why I am pursuing my degree, a career in criminal justice, and what it means to lead a meaningful life. When I became ill I was suddenly very different from others my age. I struggled with severe weight loss, constant fatigue and was often unable to function. My pain controlled not only what I felt inside but how I looked on the outside. I knew I could be a successful learner if given the right opportunities and tools. Requests to the school for accommodations I needed for my education were often ignored or dismissed as my personal failure. I faced years of bullying about my appearance and frequent absences. It was a struggle to think about continuing in school or going on to college, as it was always a constant battle. Serving others became a powerful way to feel useful. It allowed me to be a part of something larger than my own life and a way to live my values. Whether volunteering to prep food, rehabbing orphaned wildlife, or interning at WestComm 911 Dispatch Center, my experiences reinforced how empathy, compassion, accountability, and generosity are things I do well. Being of service grew my independence and confidence and strengthened my commitment to community. It convinced me that I want to and am capable of pursuing a career in helping others. I persevered in the fight for my education. I became a strong self-advocate. Online learning during the pandemic and two years of dual enrollment at Holyoke Community College let me find the resilience I needed to redefine my relationship with school and view myself as a college-bound learner. My success is reflected in my academic performance. I achieved high honors/ Dean’s list for the last three years. I took on leadership and innovative opportunities, including helping to establish and be the first high school student to complete an internship program at a regional 911 Dispatch center. The love that others gave me and the satisfaction and connection that serving others provided have driven me to pursue a career of being there for people when they need hope most. I am excited to be working full-time this summer for WestComm 911 dispatch and attending the University of New Haven in its Criminal Justice and Emergency Management programs this fall. I just completed my orientation this June and am already planning extracurricular involvement to continue helping others around me. I will be applying to join the residential council to help students feel like our school community is a caring home and other advocate and volunteer groups that provide a voice for compassion and justice locally and beyond. I will be honest and say that I can’t tell you specifically where my degree will take me to serve. I can envision working with families to bring answers, closure, and justice after tragedies. But I also know that there are a lot of possibilities that I haven’t even imagined yet to help others and serve a greater purpose. Where ever my future leads me the maturity, resilience, and authority I have gained through the challenges of my past will be a strong foundation. The journey of service I have lived will always be a beacon to move me forward, even through the hardest time.

My early life perfectly balanced school, family, and fun. Things changed drastically when my sister and I were diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Suddenly our lives revolved around illness. We spent over 100 days as inpatients at the hospital, where we underwent surgery and walked a long path to find effective medication. These circumstances shape why I am pursuing my degree and what it means to lead a meaningful life. I was suddenly very different from others my age when I became ill. I struggled with severe weight loss, constant fatigue and was often unable to function. My pain controlled not only what I felt inside but how I looked on the outside. I knew I could be a successful learner if given the right opportunities and tools. Requests to the school for accommodations I needed for my education were often ignored or dismissed as my personal failure. I faced years of bullying about my appearance and frequent absences. It was a struggle to think about continuing in school or going on to college, as it was always a constant battle. Serving others became a powerful way to feel useful. It allowed me to be a part of something larger than my own life and a way to live my values. Whether volunteering to prep food, rehabbing orphaned wildlife, or interning at WestComm 911 Dispatch Center, my experiences reinforced how empathy, compassion, accountability, and generosity are things I do well. Being of service grew my independence and confidence and strengthened my commitment to community. It convinced me that I want to and am capable of pursuing a career in helping others. I persevered in the fight for my education. I became a strong self-advocate. Online learning during the pandemic and two years of dual enrollment at Holyoke Community College let me find the resilience I needed to redefine my relationship with school and view myself as a college-bound learner. My success is reflected in my academic performance. I achieved high honors/ Dean’s list for the last three years. I took on leadership and innovative opportunities, including helping to establish and be the first high school student to complete an internship program at a regional 911 Dispatch center. The love that others gave me and the satisfaction and connection that serving others provided have driven me to pursue a career of being there for people when they need hope most. I am excited to be working full-time this summer for WestComm 911 dispatch and attending the University of New Haven in its Criminal Justice and Emergency Management programs this fall. I just completed my orientation this June and am already planning extracurricular involvement to continue helping others around me. I will be applying to join the residential council to help students feel like our school community is a caring home and other advocate and volunteer groups that provide a voice for compassion and justice locally and beyond. I will be honest and say that I can’t tell you specifically where my degree will take me to serve. I can envision managing large-scale emergency response or working with families to bring closure and justice after tragedies. But I also know that there are a lot of possibilities that I haven’t even imagined yet and want to explore that can help others and serve a greater purpose. Wherever my future leads me, the maturity, resilience, and authority I have gained through the challenges of my past will be a strong foundation. The journey of service I have lived will always be a beacon to move me forward, even through the hardest time.

As a person who struggled with chronic illnesses and how they affected my experience in school, participating in the fine arts through my high school wasn’t a comfortable fit for me. My school didn’t have a very large or skilled music program. Still, the arts have been a crucial part of how I found joy when school and my health were stressful. Being a musician has given my life balance and kept me moving forward, even through the hardest times. Having grown up participating in and helping with local theater productions through Monson Arts Council and Monson Summer Theater, I found opportunities for community and artistic expression both on and off the stage through other regional theater companies and my congregation. I took on leadership positions like Head Costumer for a production of Les Mis and I developed a deeper love of musicals. Even in my shyness, I was drawn to being on stage and performing a story through music. In high school, I took on the challenge of overcoming my insecurities and self-consciousness to pursue my love of music and develop my voice as a singer. I had already sung both on stage in productions as part of small groups. I performed regularly with a choir for teens, an all-ages choir, and was selected as an assistant director for a middle school choir. But with the pandemic bringing on a new flexibility to how I approached my time and education I decided to confront my shyness in the spotlight and as a soloist. I, with a fellow friend and alternatively-schooled student, founded a duo known as “still loading…” that performed jazz, folk, pop, and musical theater numbers with a small band. I worked on holding harmonies and the technical aspects of coming into my full voice. As a celebration of this hard and intense work, I offered a full-length “Jazz Cabaret” event in late June featuring me as a soloist and as part of a duo and trio that sang tight harmonies and a wide genre of musical selections. I have also spent my high school years collecting music on vinyl, tape, and cd and even had access to listening to music written into my academic accommodations because it is such a powerful healing and focusing tool for me. I used the physicality of singing to keep me busy and distracted from pain and stress. Music has been how I have maintained my balance and the motivation to find resilience in hard times. The arts have allowed me to make my voice heard, join my voice with others, and share in building a supportive, kind community. Even as I planned to pursue a career in Criminal Justice and Emergency management, I made sure the colleges I applied to would have the resources and opportunities to continue allowing me to use the arts, especially music, to enrich my life and grow my talents. I am excited that the school I have chosen to attend, The University of New Haven, offers classes, musical theater, and music recording production with new opportunities for me to explore. I’ve even heard rumors about singers working with their marching and jazz bands! I look forward to working with a new arts community to create together and form connections and friendships. I know that music will always be a guiding light for me and a source of joy for my entire life.

My early life perfectly balanced school, family, and fun. Things changed drastically when my sister and I were diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Suddenly our lives revolved around illness. We spent over 100 days as inpatients at the hospital, where we underwent surgery and walked a long path to find effective medication. These circumstances would cause me to change and grow into who I am today and shape what it means to lead a meaningful life. I was suddenly very different from others my age when I became ill. I struggled with severe weight loss, constant fatigue and was often unable to function. My pain controlled not only what I felt inside but how I looked on the outside. I knew I could be a successful learner if given the right opportunities and tools. Requests to the school for accommodations I needed for my education were often ignored or dismissed as my personal failure. I faced years of bullying about my appearance and frequent absences. It was a struggle to think about continuing in school or going on to college, as it was always a constant battle. Serving others became a powerful way to feel useful. It allowed me to be a part of something larger than my own life and a way to live my values. Whether volunteering to prep food, rehabbing orphaned wildlife, or interning at WestComm 911 Dispatch Center, my experiences reinforced how empathy, compassion, accountability, and generosity are things I do well. Being of service grew my independence and confidence and strengthened my commitment to community. It convinced me that I want to and am capable of pursuing a career in helping others. I persevered in the fight for my education. I became a strong self-advocate. Online learning during the pandemic and two years of dual enrollment at Holyoke Community College let me find the resilience I needed to redefine my relationship with school and view myself as a college-bound learner. My success is reflected in my academic performance. I achieved high honors/ Dean’s list for the last three years. I took on leadership and innovative opportunities, including helping to establish and be the first high school student to complete an internship program at a regional 911 Dispatch center. I now manage my chronic pain and continue exploring ways to balance my health and education. I have found strength in my voice and joy through performance and music. The love that others gave me and the satisfaction and connection that serving others provided have driven me to pursue a career of being there for people when they need hope most. I am excited to be working full-time this summer for WestComm 911 dispatch and attending the University of New Haven in its Criminal Justice and Emergency Management programs this fall. I just completed my orientation this June and am already planning extracurricular involvement to continue helping others around me. I will be applying to join the residential council to help students feel like our school community is a caring home and other advocate and volunteer groups that provide a voice for compassion and justice locally and beyond. The maturity, resilience, and authority I have gained through the challenges of my past are a strong foundation for my future. The journey of service I have lived will always be a beacon to move me forward, even through the hardest time.

My early life perfectly balanced school, family, and fun. Things changed drastically when my sister and I were diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Suddenly our lives revolved around illness. We spent over 100 days as inpatients at the hospital, where we underwent surgery and walked a long path to find effective medications. These circumstances would cause me to grow into who I am today and shape my education and what it means to lead a meaningful life. I was suddenly very different from others my age when I became ill. I struggled with severe weight loss, constant fatigue and was often unable to function. My pain controlled not only what I felt inside but how I looked on the outside. I knew I could be a successful learner if given the right opportunities and tools. Requests to the school for accommodations I needed for my education were often ignored or dismissed as my personal failure. I faced years of bullying about my appearance and frequent absences. It was a struggle to think about continuing in school or going on to college, as it was always a constant battle. Serving others became a powerful way to feel useful. It allowed me to be a part of something larger than my own life and a way to live my values. Whether volunteering to prep food, rehabbing orphaned wildlife, or interning at WestComm 911 Dispatch Center, my experiences reinforced how empathy, compassion, accountability, and generosity are things I do well. Being of service grew my independence and confidence and strengthened my commitment to community. It convinced me that I want to and am capable of pursuing a career in helping others. I persevered in the fight for my education. I became a strong self-advocate. Online learning during the pandemic and two years of dual enrollment at Holyoke Community College let me find the resilience I needed to redefine my relationship with school and view myself as a college-bound learner. My success is reflected in my academic performance. I achieved high honors/ Dean’s list for the last three years. I took on leadership and innovative opportunities, including helping to establish and be the first high school student to complete an internship program at a regional 911 Dispatch center. I now manage my chronic pain and continue exploring ways to balance my health and education. I have found strength in my voice and joy through performance and music. The love that others gave me and the satisfaction and connection that serving others provided have driven me to pursue a career of being there for people when they need hope most. Additionally, my success also inspired others, especially my sister. As she was older and the education system had not yet accepted alternative options to complete high school with the support she needed she had dropped out. Seeing me find new choices, and perhaps feeling a little competitive with her younger sibling, she was motivated to get her high school equivalency (which she did with 4.0 scores). She has also since enrolled on a college path for this fall. Like me, she is pursuing a career that gives back, in her case, nursing. I am excited to be working full-time this summer for WestComm 911 dispatch and attending the University of New Haven in its Criminal Justice and Emergency Management programs this fall. The maturity, resilience, and authority I have gained through the challenges of my past are a strong foundation for my future. The journey of service I have lived will always be a beacon to move me forward, even through the hardest time.

My early life perfectly balanced school, family, and fun. Things changed drastically when my sister and I were diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Suddenly our lives revolved around illness. We spent over 100 days as inpatients at the hospital, where I underwent surgery and walked a long path to find effective medication. These circumstances would cause me to change and grow into who I am today and shape what it means to me to fight to lead a meaningful life. I was suddenly very different from others my age when I became ill. I struggled with severe weight loss, constant fatigue and was often unable to function. My pain controlled not only what I felt inside but how I looked on the outside. I knew I could be a successful learner if given the right opportunities and tools. Requests to the school for accommodations I needed for my education were often ignored or dismissed as my personal failure. I faced years of bullying about my appearance and frequent absences. It was a struggle to think about continuing in school or going on to college, as it was always a constant battle. Serving others became a powerful way to feel useful. It allowed me to be a part of something larger than my own life and a way to live my values. Whether volunteering to prep food, rehabbing orphaned wildlife, or interning at WestComm 911 Dispatch Center, my experiences reinforced how empathy, compassion, accountability, and generosity are things I do well. Being of service grew my independence and confidence and strengthened my commitment to community. It convinced me that I want to and am capable of pursuing a career in helping others. I persevered in the fight for my education. I became a strong self-advocate. Online learning during the pandemic and two years of dual enrollment at Holyoke Community College let me find the resilience I needed to redefine my relationship with school and view myself as a college-bound learner. My success is reflected in my academic performance. I achieved high honors/ Dean’s list for the last three years. I took on leadership and innovative opportunities, including helping to establish and be the first high school student to complete an internship program at a regional 911 Dispatch center. I now have ways to manage my chronic pain and I continue exploring ways to balance my health and education. I have found strength in my voice and joy through performance and music. The love that others gave me and the satisfaction and connection that serving others provided have driven me to pursue a career of being there for people when they need it most. I am excited to be working full-time this summer for WestComm 911 dispatch and attending the University of New Haven in its Criminal Justice and Emergency Management programs this fall. The maturity, resilience, and authority I have gained through the challenges of my past are a strong foundation for my future. The journey of service I have lived will always be a beacon to move me forward, even through the hardest times.

I have fought for independence and accessible education since being diagnosed with multiple chronic conditions in fourth grade. I struggled through surgery, pain, depression/anxiety, bullying, and a school system that fought against accommodating my needs. Despite such obstacles, I have persevered and shown resilience and ability to go above and beyond. I have become a strong self-advocate. In my academic performance, I have achieved high honors/ Dean’s list for three years, including the past two years of dual enrollment at Holyoke Community College. My success was possible because of my excellent communication and interpersonal skill. I learn quickly and independently and take on leadership and innovative opportunities, including helping to establish and be the first to complete a new internship program at the regional 911 Dispatch center. I have learned to use these skills and knowledge to be true to myself. By serving others, I live my values of generosity, empathy, and accountability to something bigger than myself. Whether volunteering to prep food, rehabbing and raising orphaned wildlife, or interning at WestComm 911 Dispatch Center, my experiences have reinforced how diligence, compassion, and charity are at the heart of service and that they are things I do well, even with there is an emotional toll. Practicing this has grown my independence and confidence and strengthened my commitment to the community and my conviction that I want to pursue a career in public service. I am excited to attend the University of New Haven in its Criminal Justice and Emergency Management programs this fall. The maturity, resilience, and authority I have gained through the challenges of my past are a strong foundation for my future. The journey of service I have lived will always be a beacon to move me forward.

Two significant events have shaped my life and made me unique in my resilience, commitment to serving others and working hard to live my values. These events have taken me on complicated journeys and created the foundation for building a future path forward. I was diagnosed with a chronic disease in fourth grade. In the following years, I struggled and persevered through chronic pain, depression/anxiety, bullying, and a school system that fought against accommodating my needs. Despite such obstacles, I have proven my resilience and ability to go above and beyond. I have become a strong advocate for my health and learning. My academic performance in the last few years has been exceptional. I have achieved high honors for three years (first through Monson High School online during the pandemic and the previous two years as dual enrollment at Holyoke Community College). Serving others has been a powerful source that allowed me to feel like I was of use and a part of something bigger. It allowed me to live my values of being generous, empathic, and accountable to something bigger than myself, even when school and my health fell apart. Whether as a cook team leader for the free meals offered through our UU church, preparing food for music festival volunteers, or baking for fundraisers being of service kept me moving forward and has changed me for the better. I worked for three years in one of my favorite volunteer positions, rehabbing and raising orphaned wildlife. I learned that scratches, bites, and heartache were a small price for saving lives and returning them to the freedom they deserved. The most transformative service I have volunteered for is serving as an intern at WestComm 911 Dispatch Center. rea On one of my first days, a mother called in because her infant wasn’t breathing. I listened as the dispatcher walked her through CPR, and emergency responders arrived at the scene. I realized I was sharing a moment in this woman’s life - an actual human needing help. It was scary and powerful. Like releasing wildlife, it was hard not to know the end of the story. I only know the baby started breathing and was taken to the hospital. But more importantly, this event reinforced in my mind how diligence, compassion, and charity are at the heart of public service and things I know I can do well. I saw how each person in the room, on the phone and radio, in the police cars and ambulances was accountable for the outcome, acted out of care, and gave of themselves even though it took an emotional toll. Most importantly, I learned that despite, and maybe because of, what it feels like to be in that moment, I want to continue to answer that call for help. My health journey and volunteering have strengthened my conviction that I want to pursue a career that serves the public, especially during emergencies and hard times. I have accepted the offer and am excited to attend the University of New Haven in their Criminal Justice and Emergency Management programs. The maturity, confidence, resilience, and authority I have gained through the challenges of my past will be a strong foundation for my future. The journey of service I have lived will always be a beacon to move me forward. I am ready to continue working hard and would be grateful for your support on my path ahead.

The essential attributes that make me unique are my resilience, commitment to serving others and working hard to live my values. They have seen me through some complicated journeys and are the foundation on which I am building a future that allows me to apply my time and talents in serving the community. Since being diagnosed in fourth grade, I struggled and persevered through chronic pain, depression/anxiety, bullying, and a school system that fought against accommodating my needs. Despite such obstacles, I have proven my resilience and ability to go above and beyond. I have become a strong advocate. My academic performance in the last few years has been exceptional. I have achieved high honors for three years (first through Monson High School online during the pandemic and the previous two years as dual enrollment at Holyoke Community College). Serving others has been a powerful source that allowed me to feel like I was of use and a part of something bigger. It is how I lived my values of being generous, empathic, and accountable to something bigger than myself, even when school and my health were falling apart. Whether as a cook team leader for the free meals offered through our UU church, preparing food for music festival volunteers, or baking for fundraisers being of service kept me moving forward and has changed me for the better. I worked for three years in one of my favorite volunteer positions, rehabbing and raising orphaned wildlife. I learned that scratches, bites, and heartache were a small price for saving lives and returning them to the freedom they deserved. The most transformative service I have volunteered for is serving as an intern at WestComm 911 Dispatch Center. My experiences there have reinforced how diligence, compassion, and charity are at the heart of public service and are things I can do well. I saw how each person working in emergency response was accountable for the outcome, acted out of care, and gave of themselves even though it took an emotional toll. It strengthened my conviction that I want to pursue a career that serves the public, especially during hard times. I have accepted the offer and am excited to attend the University of New Haven in their Criminal Justice and Emergency Management programs. The maturity, confidence, resilience, and authority I have gained through the challenges of my past will be a strong foundation for my future. The journey of service I have lived will always be a beacon to move me forward. I am ready to continue working hard and would be grateful for your support on my path ahead.