When I think about what shaped my goals for the future, nothing has had a greater impact than watching my dad fight cancer. From 2013 to 2018, my dad went through one of the hardest battles a person can face. I was young and did not fully understand what cancer meant, but I understood enough to know that it could take him away from me. Those years felt like a long storm that never seemed to end. I watched him leave for treatments, come home exhausted from chemo, and push through pain that no child ever wants to see their parent experience. It was the scariest time of my life. Even though I did not understand every detail back then, I understood fear. I understood uncertainty. I understood what it meant to hope that someone you love does not disappear from your life. Seeing him go through that changed me in a way nothing else ever has. It made me grow up faster. It taught me what real strength looks like, not the kind you show in sports or school, but the kind that keeps a family together when everything feels unstable. My dad owns a construction business and a flooring store, and even through his treatment he somehow found a way to keep going. Some days he could not get out of bed, but other days he showed up and worked because he wanted his family to have a future. Watching him fight for us taught me the value of hard work and responsibility. It showed me how powerful determination can be. Seeing him push through the toughest years of his life made me want to push myself in everything I do. His battle with cancer also changed the way I see my future. It made me realize that I want a career where I can lead, solve problems, and build something that lasts. I want to study business because it feels like a way to honor the example he set for me. He taught me that success is built through long hours, sacrifice, and never giving up, even when life tries to knock you down. His strength is something I carry with me every day, in school, in sports, and in the way I treat the people around me. Going through this experience also helped me understand the importance of helping others. During my dad’s treatment, I saw how much a simple kind word or gesture could mean. I saw nurses and doctors who treated him with kindness and respect. I saw friends and family step in to support us. Because of that, I want to be someone who brings the same kind of support and leadership into the world. I want a career where I can guide people, work hard, and make a difference. My dad’s cancer changed my life, but it also shaped my strength, my goals, and my future. His fight showed me what resilience looks like, and because of that, I am more motivated than ever to pursue my education and build a life that reflects the courage he showed every day. This scholarship would help me take the next step toward that future, carrying the lessons he taught me forward.

Living with dyslexia has shaped my entire experience as a student. For a long time I felt like I had to work twice as hard just to keep up with everyone around me. Reading took longer. Writing took longer. Even simple assignments sometimes felt like climbing a hill that never ended. But as I grew older, I started to understand that dyslexia was not something that made me less capable. It was something that taught me how to fight for the things I wanted. It forced me to be patient with myself. It taught me how to stay calm, keep pushing, and find my own way to learn. Throughout high school I balanced classes with varsity soccer and varsity tennis, where I eventually became the captain of the tennis team. Sports taught me discipline and mental toughness, but my dyslexia taught me something those sports never could. It taught me persistence. Every test and every essay required more time, more effort, and more focus. I would watch other students finish assignments quickly while I stayed longer, reread, and rewrote. The extra work never made me weaker. It made me stronger and more determined to succeed. Working at Larsons Marina for three years also shaped who I am. Since I have been around boats my whole life, the marina felt like a second home. I learned how to help customers, handle stressful moments, and talk to all different kinds of people. Those experiences showed me that I am good at staying calm under pressure and that I enjoy working in environments where I can help others directly. They also helped me understand that I want my future career to involve people, service, and leadership. My motivation for pursuing higher education comes from wanting to prove to myself that my learning disability does not define my limits. I want to take the confidence I have built and use it to create a future where I can make an impact. Being a student with dyslexia has made me more understanding of people who struggle quietly. It helped me realize how important support and encouragement are. I want to continue my education so I can grow, challenge myself, and eventually guide others who feel held back by something they cannot control. I believe I am a strong candidate for the Dylans Journey Memorial Scholarship because I share the same type of determination that guided Dylan through his life. He continued to learn and pursue his goals despite every obstacle he faced. His story speaks to me because I know what it feels like to push through something difficult day after day. I know what it feels like to succeed when the path is not easy. I also know how powerful it is to show others that their disability does not have to stop them from dreaming. Receiving this scholarship would mean more than financial support. It would remind me that people who learn differently still deserve big opportunities. It would push me to continue showing others with learning challenges that they can achieve just as much as anyone else. I want to honor Dylans message by staying ambitious, working hard, and proving that real strength comes from never giving up.

rowing up, I was forced to realize quickly that when we are born, not everyone is starting on the same playing field. When I was young, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. It was at this moment I realized the magnitude of this disability. I got pulled from classes away from friends just to learn things everyone else somehow already knew. Before high school, I remember kids laughing at the way I read out loud. I can recall certain teachers calling on me to read out loud, even when I was sweating, staring down at my desk hoping they would skip over me. I just wanted to feel normal. I quickly realized I just needed to work twice as hard. I stayed after school almost every day. I asked for extra help from teachers even when it felt embarrassing. I spent hours on reading and spelling at home, sometimes late into the night. I worked this hard because I didn’t want dyslexia to decide my future. Over time, my hard work started to pay off. I went from being separated from classes and friends to a student with a 3.8 GPA and distinguished honors. Sports have always been a place where I can feel like myself. Soccer is the reason I feel confident in who I am. I’ve been a four-year varsity starter for Ocean City High School and scored 35 varsity goals, the second most anyone has in the past 10 years. I plan to attend SUNY Maritime College to study marine transport and play soccer, taking everything I’ve learned from my challenges to build my future. Marine transport has always been the goal. I seem to have a connection to the water. It's a safe space for me. It doesn't judge you, but tests you. Every wave is an obstacle. I am sure there will be a lot of waves for me to tackle in college. This is why college is so important to me. I will build my character and skills. After college, I would like to work as a tugboat driver. Navigating waterways and learning how to dock cargo ships will help me with my eventual goal: to become a ship pilot. There is no better way to deepen my connection with the ocean than to work with it. My mom motivated me to continue my education. She also has the same disability and has always been my inspiration. Above everything I just want to make her proud and follow in her footprints. This scholarship would take pressure off my family and allow me to focus on college studies. It would give me a fair shot at higher education and prove that dyslexia doesn’t get to decide my future.

Growing up, I was forced to realize quickly that when we are born, not everyone is starting on the same playing field. When I was young, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. It was at this moment I realized the magnitude of this disability. I got pulled from classes away from friends just to learn things everyone else somehow already knew. Before high school, I remember kids laughing at the way I read out loud. I can recall certain teachers calling on me to read out loud, even when I was sweating, staring down at my desk hoping they would skip over me. I just wanted to feel normal. I quickly realized I just needed to work twice as hard. I stayed after school almost every day. I asked for extra help from teachers even when it felt embarrassing. I spent hours on reading and spelling at home, sometimes late into the night. I worked this hard because I didn’t want dyslexia to decide my future. Over time, my hard work started to pay off. I went from being separated from classes and friends to a student with a 3.8 GPA and distinguished honors. Sports have always been a place where I can feel like myself. Soccer is the reason I feel confident in who I am. I’ve been a four-year varsity starter for Ocean City High School and scored 35 varsity goals, the second most anyone has in the past 10 years. I plan to attend SUNY Maritime College to study marine transport and play soccer, taking everything I’ve learned from my challenges to build my future. Marine transport has always been the goal. I seem to have a connection to the water. It's a safe space for me. It doesn't judge you, but tests you. Every wave is an obstacle. I am sure there will be a lot of waves for me to tackle in college. This is why college is so important to me. I will build my character and skills. After college, I would like to work as a tugboat driver. Navigating waterways and learning how to dock cargo ships will help me with my eventual goal, to become a ship pilot. There is no better way to deepen my connection with the ocean than to work with it. I hope to one day start my own scholarship specifically for students with a disability. Helping my community further it's education. This scholarship would take pressure off my family and allow me to focus on college studies. It would give me a fair shot at higher education and prove that dyslexia doesn’t get to decide my future.

Growing up, I was forced to realize quickly that when we are born, not everyone is starting on the same playing field. When I was young, I was diagnosed with dyslexia. It was at this moment I realized the magnitude of this disability. I got pulled from classes away from friends just to learn things everyone else somehow already knew. Before high school, I remember kids laughing at the way I read out loud. I can recall certain teachers calling on me to read out loud, even when I was sweating, staring down at my desk hoping they would skip over me. I just wanted to feel normal. I quickly realized I just needed to work twice as hard. I stayed after school almost every day. I asked for extra help from teachers even when it felt embarrassing. I stopped caring what people thought of me. I spent hours on reading at home that would’ve taken other kids 10 minutes. However, I didn’t care. I worked on my spelling late at night to the point my mom had to tell me to go to sleep. I worked this hard because I didn’t want dyslexia to decide my future. I don’t know if it was because of embarrassment or pride, but for some reason, I never told anyone of my friends I had dyslexia. Only my family ever knew it. I wasn’t ashamed. Maybe before high school people could tell I was dyslexic, but overtime my hard work started to pay off. I went from being a kid that was separated from his classes and friends, to a student with a 3.8 GPA and distinguished honors. Sports have always been a place where I can feel like myself. Soccer has not been my escape from the classroom, but my partner with it. Soccer is the reason I feel so confident in who I am. When I’m on the field nothing feels wrong with me. I’m not a student that reads slow and needs extra help. I’m just a player doing everything he can to improve and win every game. I’ve been a four-year varsity starter for Ocean City High School. Not only that, I’ve scored 35 varsity goals in one of the hardest divisions around, which is the second most anyone in Ocean City has scored in the past 10 years. I’ve earned many awards, but I’m most proud that my learning disability never held me back from achieving my goals. In my household, school always came first. Whether that meant taking a break for a season of soccer to study or leaving it altogether. But by working hard, I was always able to juggle both and give my all no matter what. I’ve never lost sight of that dream and plan to attend SUNY Maritime College. I plan to play soccer there, work hard, and study marine transport. I want to take everything I’ve learned throughout my life and struggles to help build my future as high as I can possibly get it. This scholarship would help level the playgrounds. It’s the final straw to prove to myself that a disability is something you can be proud of. It would take pressure off my family and allow me to focus my time on studies in college. I’ve always had to work twice as hard just to be average. This scholarship would mean I got a fair shot at college. No matter what, I will continue to keep proving to myself that dyslexia doesn’t get to decide my future. I will never let it stop me or slow down my dreams.

Ever since I was little I’ve loved watching how things move from one place to another, especially by water. I would stand and watch the boats in Sea Isle and wonder how everything made it safely across the ocean. That curiosity turned into a real interest in marine transport. Now I want to study it in college so I can help make the way goods move safer, smarter, and better. What really drives me is knowing that new ideas can make a difference, but only if you think about the people and the environment too. You can have the best plan or idea, but if you don’t think about the impact, it can cause problems. I try to remember that in everything I do, whether it’s on the soccer field, school projects, or my job as a dock hand in Sea Isle. I was lucky enough to get to mirror my uncle who is a Chesapeake Bay pilot. This was the greatest experience of my life. We were transported to a huge cargo ship by boat where I had to climb up the side of a 600 foot cargo ship. His job was nothing shoot of amazing. This is something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. There was also another kid mirroring him at the same time. Spence this was my second time I got to help him and build his confidence. Spence I was in his shoes my first time it was easy for me. I shewed him how to climb the huge latter and how the ship runs. He accomplished something that day that may not seem like much. But helping that kid climb that latter actually helped him climb his way top his future. Seeing that and knowing I helped him feel ready made me realize that being a leader is really about helping others succeed while still getting things done. In the future I hope to bring new ideas to marine transport that make it faster and more sustainable without ever cutting corners on safety. I want to be someone who cares about people and the environment as much as results. I want to lead by example and show that you can be ambitious and creative while still being responsible. Improving things while helping others and making a real difference is what motivates me every day. That’s why I want to study marine transport and eventually help build a stronger, safer industry.

During one of the toughest periods my family has ever faced, tennis turned into my saving grace. Upon learning of my dad's cancer diagnosis, my immediate impulse was to find a way to bring light into his life and help him remember the happiness and beauty that still existed. This took me hours alone crying in my room to find. eventually I remembered my Christmas present when I was 8 when my dad got me a blue tennis racket that I keep in my closet today. All I could think about in that moment was the smile on his face every time he tried teaching me to play. I ran up to him with my racket in hand and watering eyes and asked him to play. I will never forget the smile he gave me after that one question. As we grabbed our rackets and stepped onto the court hand in hand, time seemed to slip away as we giggled worked on our serves and created memories that briefly lifted the heaviness of his sickness. At the start it wasn't about being the victor in a game of tennis but it was about having hope building a stronger bond and knowing we had someone there for us. Playing tennis not only served as a means of supporting my father but also as a way to boost his spirits and demonstrate that during tough times we could still discover happiness side by side. Having tennis around allowed for me to give my dad the support he needed to lift his spirits and to remind him that even in tough times we could still find a way to share joy. Playing on the court I came to realize how deeply tennis could embed life lessons within me discover the value of patience in enduring those drawn-out rallies understand the power of persistence when faced with errors and recognize the significance of turning up each day regardless of the obstacles in my way. As I saw my father refusing to give up in every game no matter how weary or hurt he was, I gained a deep understanding of what it means to be brave and strong. Tennis transformed from a simple sport into a powerful symbol showing me the unwavering perseverance my dad showed me day in and day out. The teachings I've received have played a huge role in forming my identity by making me a person who is more attentive and considerate of others My identity has been deeply influenced by the knowledge I've gained being transformed into a more concentrated individual by these teachings Following my father getting better, we've taken up tennis as our special thing - a way to mark the preciousness of life and the moments we spend side by side; with every set we see how far we've come and every game is a tribute to the closeness we've built on the court. Every time a serve flies across the net, every back and forth of a rally, and every second spent on the court by his side are moments I hold close knowing they will be part of me always. Playing tennis has been more than just a game, it's shown me that the true wins in life come not from scoreboards or titles, but from the bonds we build, the obstacles we conquer, and the deep affection that guides us through it all.