I'm sure I'm not the only kid who has lost a parent. My dad died my freshman year of high school from multiple auto-immune disorders and cancer. Joy was not around much that year as I watched him fight his illness. Joy was not around much the next year as we entered Covid lockdown. From these two experiences I have learned to look for Joy in the every day. I have a strong mother who has taught me to keep moving forward. A younger sister who fills the house with music. I am lucky to have a great group of friends that keep me laughing. Remembering that my father asked me to keep working hard and be a good kid, and doing just that to honor him- that is Joy.

My intention for the future is to attend the University of Rhode Island with a major in business. I specifically intend to major in business management and also try to get a minor in marketing. I am interested in consumer behavior as well as understanding and meeting the customer's wants and needs. URI’s business college will allow me to broaden my knowledge and improve my skill set by sharing real-world applications. URI’s marketing program will allow me to express my creativity, and apply analytical skills to topics like branding, design, and digital marketing. Being able to be outside of the classroom and participate in internships, student lectures, or even study abroad is an opportunity I would like to explore at the university. I plan to expose myself to coursework at URI and network with faculty as well as family and friends to explore real-world internships while at college. I am a very personable person and a level-headed thinker, two traits that I believe will serve me well in business. The ability to pause and assess a question or situation, consider all the different options, and communicate these to clients or associates is a skill that is very much needed in the world of business and what I feel I possess. Attending the University of Rhode Island Business School will allow me to fine-tune these skills. I know that to succeed in college I have to be focused on my studies, which is always my first priority.

Throughout my whole life, my father had been very ill with a bile duct disease, which also lead to his liver being very weak. He was always a healthy and active person, and for many years it seemed like he was going to be able to overcome his illness and live a long and healthy life. This was until February 2019. We learned that my father's liver was getting much worse and that he would have to be transferred to Beth Israel hospital in Boston. For two months he was kept in the hospital and was slowly being prepared for a liver transplant. Unfortunately, over that time his health got much worse. His organs started to become very solid and made it very hard to reach the liver. Doctors also found that the bile duct disease lead to stage four lung cancer. On April 28th, 2019 my father Thomas Dilley was finally able to rest in peace. Even though I grew up knowing his death was the worst thing that could happen, it still took me a great amount of time to even perceive the thought of a world without my father. This was one of the most difficult times of my life, and it was very hard to overcome. I started to rely on the help of my friends to overcome the emptiness that I felt, and it actually was very helpful. I learned that spending time with my friends and also focusing on school was something that my father would want me to do. He always wanted me to succeed in life, but also have fun while doing it. Continuing to do what he wished for me is the best way that I am able to honor my father

Ever since I was a little kid, I was introduced to sports. My parents raised me to be constantly active instead of just sitting inside, and to this day I am very grateful for it. My parents introduced me to sports like soccer and tennis when I was around 5 or 6 years old, with basketball, golf, and lacrosse following shortly after. Although my mom was very supportive of me and my sister's athletics, my father was our biggest fan and always wanted to see us achieve our goals. Every day over the summer, my father and I would play basketball in our driveway for hours with no rest, just soaking up the sun and creating memories. He would take us to golf matches as a kid and walk with us on the course until we were done. When I started focusing on Lacrosse as a child, I became obsessed with it. I played for Barnstable's youth program, and my dad helped coach me and my teammates for years. Although people always think that having your father as a coach is an advantage to getting playing time or taking less criticism for mistakes, that wasn’t the case with coach Dilley. If anything he expected the utmost best out of me. He pushed me harder than any other player on those teams. If I was caught slacking off I would have to run laps. I wasn’t treated as the coach's son but as a player on a team, nothing out of the ordinary. This made me push myself as well. Although we would butt heads at practice, he was looking out for me and making sure that I was not only becoming a better player, but also a better person at the same time. My father taught me the rights and wrongs in the world through the way of sports. I learned how to respect not only my peers but as well as my elders, no matter the situation. Even if I hated another person, he told me violence was never the option. A few years later he went and coached my sister's lacrosse team. He would still show up and support me at my games, and he never missed one. Unfortunately ever since I was a child, he was extremely sick. He suffered from Ulcerative Colitis which led to liver disease and bile duct cancer. His condition became worse over the years, and he was unfortunately hospitalized in February of 2019. On April 28th, 2019 Thomas Dilley passed away due to stage four lung cancer and liver failure. Since that day the sport of lacrosse felt incomplete without him watching me. I was able to apply the lessons that my father has taught me to other sports like golf, and even in school. Sports have meant so much more than me since the day that he passed, and to this day his death has made me not only a better athlete but overall a better person as well. With the help of sports, I learned what my father truly wished for me to learn in sports, which was respect.