I am a graduate student at the University of Maine at Orono. I graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi as an undergrad and I have returned to pursue an MBA at my home school. I am bringing a very honest two-teared agenda to my future at UMaine. First, is to learn every and any skillset connected to the successful development and management of a 501(3)(c) and apply those skills to the development of the Maine Youth Golf Development Association. I have built this concept and corporation from scratch. The second is to organize a group of students and alumni to purchase a local golf course, a famous country clube designed by one Donald Ross. If the name Donald Ross isn't on the tip of your tongue, it probably should be. Ross is a world-famous golf architect, someone who designed Augusta National Country Club from scratch. I would like purchase and then give this property to UMaine for student and faculty use into eternity. The potential impact of the youth foundation in addition to the golf course acquisition could likely make a measurable, positive difference in the development of area kids and where they end up as adults. Big differences, positive differences and lifelong differences. What makes this agenda so unique is that 1. Maine is a cold-weather state, not usually one that is associated with golf. 2. Maine is a state that is not, at present, particularly good at investing in its own kids. I would like to change that and my course of study is designed around those pursuits. If the world could be perfect for just a few minutes, here is what I want and intend to do. I would like to fund the Maine Youth Golf Development Foundation to a level that will allow deserving and needy Maine kids a way to earn a course scholarship to a local course. In so doing, they will begin a pathway of deservedness and meaning and begin learning a game that dates back hundreds of years. By absorbing the Ross course into the University environment, my group will effect something that is rare in a small state and that is, as opposed to creating caste systems, this will remove the barrier of entry for younger people. They will be "tangential owners" of a famous country club located right down the road from their University. No more barriers to entry as would now be the case. All students, faculty and employees will have a membership to a famous country club. And, local kids will be the beneficiaries of the resource from day one. The micro-scholarships allow them full course privileges for an entire year. What motivated me most about this pursuit is that the platform goal would actually remove both the notions of caste systems and undeservings from the vernacular of the next few generations. By definition, they are invited, they are included and they are welcome. The prospect of creating that with the template originally envisioned by a world-famous architect is beyond motivation. It is actually a purpose. This will be the first of many philanthropic pursuits. This one could change outcomes for several thousand people.

As a graduate student in the UMaineMBA program, I count my blessings about my life to date. Prior to now, I had graduated from UMaine Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi earning a double degree in Political Science and Psychology. My short term focus is on developing a youth sports platform in my home state of Maine. At present, there really isn't one where by comparison, every other New England state has at least one. I have a younger biological brother who suffers from "schizophrenia". He fits the profile to a tee, smoking marijuana at a very young age, school struggles, lost jobs, flunked out of high school and fell thru the cracks and after additional problems with law enforcement. He then became homeless and periodically institutionalized. The reason I chose this scholarship topic is simple. In our teens, people would often confuse both of us and reverse our names. And, If I had a penny for every time I heard that "you and your brother look so much alike", I would not need to apply for this scholarship. I don't believe that my brother is tragic, or someone to be patronized, rather he is someone who is really sick and unfortunately, he has a sickness that seems to prevent him from managing his own health. Mental illness is no joke. It can be cruel, destructive and blinding in terms of the perspective it creates in families. Mine, for example attempted, for years, to normalize my brother or to offer him some sort of opportunity that could cause for him to be a more successful adult. Unfortunately, this was to no avail. My values and motivations have many, many sources, but this is one that I believe that grew its roots by watching my brother disintigrate as a person. I believe that among the inroads to adult mental illnesses are early substance abuse and either an unwillingness or inability to form the character traits necessary to form a strong and healthy psyche. Much like the indicators for diabetes and the physical effects of poor dietary choices, the primary symptomology of mental illness has and offers similar warning signs. Somewhere during that process of initial symptomology presenting, there are choices that will either help someone live their best life or begin to slide into an abyss that is blindingly dark and often has no light at the end of its tunnel. . My brother's decline was more a resultant of his personal unwillingness to do the work necessary to be a healthy person. In December of 2010, the Bangor Police Department got a call about a fire out in the woods. When officers arrived, they found my brother in a tee shirt and sneakers in front of a bonfire in 10 degrees below zero weather. During the interview, he attempted to convince them that he was doing survival research for the University of Maine. They continued the interview and then decided to remand him to the local psychiatric facility where he remained for several months. He was dirty, had tangled long hair and bad teeth, and was simply seriously mentally ill. I cherish my life to date and what I feel I can bring into a healthy world, but the simple genuflector about you "look just like your brother or he looks just like you" is heartbreaking. I won't take my life for granted. I will pay my perspectives and experiences forward in effort to help the world become a better place. Unfortunately, due to the reality of major mental illness, my brother has no ability to participate in it.

Sports have occupied a large part of my life since I was a child. I love sports, I love to play, to coach and to be a huge fan of sports that I couldn't successfully play. I couldn't have more respect for high quality people who make a sporting platform the center of their professional life. As a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Maine at Orono, I chose to accept an invitation to earn the MaineMBA with a specific goal in mind. I want to bring a First Tee chapter to the State of Maine after its 10 year absence. My degree will be tailored both to sports management and not for profit managerial skills. The First Tee endeavors to teach kids, ages 5 to 18, 9 core values that most of us feel are critical values for a happy and successful life. By using golf a metaphor for life, the First Tee strives to teach honesty, integrity, responsibility, respect, courtesy, sportsmanship, judgement, perseverance, and confidence as personal pillars for growth and development. The skills I will learn with respect to my degree will allow me to become a top executive in my state and probably, eventually, in the United States. As an athlete who grew up in a cold weather state, I, unfortunately, wasn't offered an opportunity to participate in youth or developmental golf as a kid. However, that doesn't mean that I didn't take it upon myself to learn. And, in 2023, I will endeavor to make my professional debut while earning PGA and TPI certifications to be the first person to gain full PGA tour status by means of Monday qualifiers. The PGA offers a system where, by means of Monday qualifiers, aspiring tour players can earn their way into the weekend event and play for the actual prize money. If you are able to gain to 125 on the money list, you can earn full exemption, the actual PGA card. In addition, I am putting a group together in effort to purchase a local Donald Ross course and gift it to the University of Maine, a top state school that has neither a golf course nor a golf team. If that becomes a reality, I would like to return a men's and women's D1 program to the University of Maine. Part of that motivation is to offer a First Tee chapter as a outreach in the local area and have the students run the program. The long term impact could be awesome, effectively reaching hundreds, if not thousands of kids, who otherwise would be very limited in terms of developmental opportunities. I am optimistic that each of these goals is fully satisfiable. The meaningfulness of sports in western civilization couldn't be more fundamental. And, when sound values are, by definition, incorporated in the programs, the effect and impact is actually tangible. That is what I hope to accomplish with my degree pursuits; to make these values and lessons accessible to the next generation of Maine kids.

Golf, to me, is probably the strongest metaphor for life that I have encountered as an adult. As one of only one of a few sports that offers no defense and has, by definition, an unlimited upside, golf allows you to test yourself and be afforded appropriate reinforcement for what you do well. Because it invites all ages and walks of life, and excludes no one, golf has no limit to its windows of opportunity. I dont know other sport does. As such, golf occupies a real place in my life. As an aspiring professional player, I recently decided to bring a First Tee to my home state of Maine, a state that currently doesn't have one and hasn't for some 10 years. The First Tee uses golf as a metaphor for life and endeavors to teach kids ages 5-18 9 cores values; those of honesty, integrity, responsibility, respect, courtesy, sportsmanship, judgement, perseverance and confidence by incorporating valid life lessons into active play. What I see is that the First Tee creates very competent, enjoyable and upwardly mobile young adults that have a real interest in their futures. What I have recognized as an aspiring professional is that golf is sorely underrepresented in the northern or cold weather states. Unfortunately, it is not necessarily a priority in terms of the socialization of the local citizenry. I aim to change that. Among my near term agendas will be to organize a group focused on acquiring a local Donald Ross course and giving it to the University of Maine at Orono, a major flagship school that currently doesn't have either a golf team or a course to its name. This particular project is ambitious, possibly allowing my state school to own a historically relevent course, and to become just that more relevant in the United States. The next chapter in that story will include the development of a varsity D1 mens and women's team and then, in a perfect world, a First Tee Chapter that will offer outreach into the local community and be run by the varsity programs as part of their degree program. Personally, I am probably the poster child for the absence of a First Tee in my state. I played several sports growing up, but was never offered an opportunity to participate in either junior or developmental golf. It simply wasn't a local priority to socialize kids into golf as developmental pathway. So, what I discovered is that I have all the tools to play at a very high level and will, while earning PGA and TPI certifications endeavor to play Monday PGA qualifiers with a goal of making the field and hitting 125 on the money list, a backdoor pathway to fully carded PGA status. No one has yet to accomplish this in recent history and I want to be the first. With that quality of demonstration, I intend to platform the First Tee in my home state and offer kids the opportunity to see what people see in others parts of the country in terms of golf as a valid life pursuit. Of all the sports we know in the west, golf probably provides the most opportunity for anyone to be employed or to compete or to simply stay involved of any other sport. There remain no barrier to entry and no minimum qualification to begin. That is a beautiful way to start the day, to simply have unlimited opportunity, potential and your whole life to aspire to your goals within the hubris of a sport that has been a global mainstay for centuries.

I recall, vividly, watching Lance Armstrong ride the Tour de France and being awestruck by the gentleman who successfully defeated stage 4 cancer and rebounded, not only to win, but to take the helm of LiveStrong. I noted the quality of his athletic ability and his ability to dominate one sport like no one ever had. During the tour, the greatest ensemble of modern athletes would be aware of and stay aware of Lance's progress. And, I have never been so disappointed as I was when I found out that his PED use dated back to his teens, effectively rendering each of his titles and his legacy wholly anonymous. And beyond disappointed, I bought a TREK after Lance came clean and did my own numbers and concluded that this was something I could have done into professional ranks had it been a devoted purpose. What stuck with me was the nobility of the sport, the identity of the peloton, and the unfortunate predicament that the chronic PED use caused in the professional ranks. As a lifelong athlete who has always ridden to be healthy, I saw was that the PED corruption basically created cycling as a temporary black sheep in all sports. As such, the pervasiveness of the cheating left the opportunities for a US kid few and far between. No one in the USA wanted to sponsor a dirty sport. Since that time, the diversification and adaptive responses of the cycling world have taken up the slack. Mountain bikes, cross-trainers, cycle-cross, and the Peloton company reopened the doors to the continuity of the sport by offering everyone access to participation. And while I will never ride in the tour, I will likely always include cycling in my health pursuits. Ideally, USADA will figure out a way to demand the sport stay clean, but in the meantime, variations of the professional ranks remain hugely interesting to most of western civilization. For me, cycling was more profound and stimulating than running as a healthy hobby and that is a big statement. As we move into the future, making cyclists a normal part of drivers education will be a powerful tool. Further, the normalcy of riding trails, in my State of Maine, has created a bridge to the masses in that they dont have to feel unsafe while they ride. By contrast, that is not so true of riding on the road. Reducing a risk should be a major priority and I suggest that channeling efforts into building safe zones for riders is tantamount for the continuity of the sport. Cycling deserves it rightful place and should not remain tainted by cheaters as we move forward.

I am an aspiring professional golfer who grew up and lives in the State of Maine. So, when it comes to sports, there probably isn't a more pronounced oxymoron in all of the lower 48 states. The conventional wisdom would say that you can't become a professional in a warm weather sport if you grew up in a cold weather state. I respectfully disagree. What I have learned in the last year is that coming from an environment that would constitute an outside the box setting isn't ideal. In fact, it is really difficult. But, what I also learned is that I could turn this situation into a catbird's seat and gain enormous insight into the outcomes that I sought. For example, over the course of the past year, I was afforded the opportunity to bring a First Tee Foundation to the State of Maine. This particular foundation, one that is quite famous, has been decidedly absent from Maine for probably 10 years. The foundation uses golf as a metaphor for life and teaches 9 core values; those of honesty, integrity, responsibility, respect, courtesy, sportsmanship, judgment, perseverance and confidence as the precursory pillars to a healthy adulthood and definable successes as a person. What I discovered during this past year, is that had I not suffered from this particular deficit, I wouldn't have discovered the value of the foundation that I am now bringing to the entire State of Maine. As I sought knowledge, data, tutelage and competency, I found that this foundation is all of these things... Unfortunately, it hadn't been in Maine for a decade, so I had never seen it. Without the situation at hand, I would have taken it for granted and never thought twice about moving forward on my own and leaving little behind. Now, that I have accepted an invitation to earn the MaineMBA at my home school, the University of Maine at Orono, I am ready to give back. As an undergrad, I earned a double degree in Political Science and Psychology with Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi distinction, but I didn't have a specific direction in my life to pursue from there. So, after having discovered the First Tee and being given the opportunity to bring it to Maine, I now feel ready to do so. I will be focusing my education on the intricacies of effectively running a not for profit and ideally effect 2000 plus kids in the State of Maine. I now feel a responsibility that I hadn't felt before and I consider that to be part of my personal growth. And while I believe sincerely that I will likely be either the first or one of the first Maine golfers to become legitimate professionally, meaning internationally, I feel as strongly that I should bring forth this organization to make this pathway both more visible and more available to a future generation. Maine kids shouldn't have to play second fiddle because they live in a "cold weather" state, rather they should have the same opportunities with maybe a subtlely different perspective about their own development. This long story short, I find that the hat of responsibility suits me nicely. I look forward to wearing it and ideally, making it look really good! Had I not had occasion to see why it is necessary, I never would tried it on.......I am thankful that I learned the right lessons here and that future generations will be the beneficiaries of that fortune.

Having grown up in a family of mental health services providers, my perspective, to say the least, is rich, deep and dates back for many years. As an undergrad, I chose to study Political Science and Psychology before seeking certification to "work in the field". And to date, I have logged some 12000 hours of professional time helping folks of all walks of life and all age groups with a variety of issues, experiences and often, problems. Trying to develop an easy answer to a big question like this isn't easy, but it can be done if you are able to consolidate your experiences into a clear narrative; one that offers a bit of enlightenment to the reader. I am a healthy, well-adjusted and decidedly upwardly mobile veteran, taken aback daily by the mental health issues effecting people, people who have honorably served their country, presenting at levels that don't, to them, have adequate resolutions. That is a tough pill for me to swallow. Mental health, to me, is the balance on a continuum that defines our access to our own quality of life. This includes the ability to form and keep relationships, maintain our physical health, access the most relevant of emotional well-being and to be and become productive adults in our modern society. When our mental health slides, or falls out of focus if you will, all of those relevant features tend to suffer. They lose their way or cloud our ability to see and make good choices in our day to day lives. For me, I like to maintain processes that keep all of my perspectives in a healthy balance. I practice a very real health and fitness regimen causing for my brain chemistry to reset itself daily. I guarantee adequate sleep time and eat both intelligently and within the confines of my goals. I don't believe people can exist in a vacuum. They have to have purpose, meaning, and relevance to be right in their own minds. When those measures, or, gauges, of mental health slide, those resources cloud and the human entity tends to lose its direction, effectively hurting its own mental health and its ability to live its best life. Righting those factors, like a steering a gyroscope, is critical in western civilization. This allows us to love, to contribute, to become relevant and see and seek continuity and purpose in our lives. I want to live a full, complete, relevant, loving life and I know that my perspectives are contingent upon my mental health being really, really good. With my lenses and perceptions clear, I can learn, seek, achieve, adjust, contribute, love and define my own relevance. I like my life lenses to be clear and I, promise, to my fellow mankind, that I will do the work necessary to be certain that I can see my day clearly, objectively, and without substantial distortion to my own perceptions. For me, that allows me to be relevant, something that I see as critically important to my definition of myself. It is my responsibility to be healthy and I accept that with open arms. I encourage others to understand their mental health at similar levels. It is worth the work and worth its weight in gold.

I would offer that learning and searching Bold.org is the best suggestion anyone could make for a "back to school tip". Given that the vast majority of students I know, need some form of student aid, offering the Bold.org forum is a great way to look. I was brand new to this in mid August of 2022 and now, I rank near the top of my state in points. I am optimistic that I can finance my MBA via Bold as a scholarship resource. Given Biden's recent statements and forgiveness program, the vehicle of student loans is less than perfect to say the least. As such, scholarships make the most sense. You are awarded one based upon relevence, not neediness and I would suggest that anyone who has actually matriculated is deserving of many considerations. I like the system and the process and I am hopeful that I will see real reward from my presentation and efforts. Dont take scholarship for granted. It is a nice way to both prove your worth and stay debt free.

Far and away, ... Mickey Mouse... My favorite of all time and I have the t-shirts to prove it. In candor, I am a huge fan of real originality and anyone who can create something truly original. The Disney construction and the story attached is a favorite of mine. I recall Walt Disney's trial and tribulations and attempts to cause an iconic character to become mainstream and gain the credit due. I once watched a documentary about Walt Disney and his effect on our modern world. Anyone who can create an Oscar worthy character, even if it is late to recognition, is on my list of relevant people. And, so is the character. As we stand, Mickey is the character icon of all of Walt Disney and arguably the entire Disney empire. That is a big wow.

My name is Kristopher T. Saunders, a Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi graduate of UMaine holding a double in Political Science and Psychology. Recently, I was offered the opportunity to bring a First Tee Chapter to my home state of Maine. The First Tee, in my opinion, is one of the pre-eminent kid focused foundations in the world. At present, they effect some 3 million plus kids ages 5 to 18 per year by using the sport of golf as a metaphor for life. Our sister state, New Hampshire has some 8 chapters while Maine hasn't had one in probably 10 years. I accepted an invitation to return to the UMaine community to begin the MaineMBA program as a mechanism to refine my skills as the Executive Director of the Maine location. I am also an aspiring professional player who is highly likely to earn a professional card in coming years. What I found as a kid in Maine, although my personal accomplishments were voluminous, was that there were few, if any, reputable, organized programs designed to teach kids how to be effective and successful adults. The First Tee teaches 9 core values: those of honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgement. I don't think that they missed anything, in my state, Maine, core values make all the difference in the development of its adults. I am intending to bring this to my state, by way of my University of Maine platform, and assist Maine parents with the development of their children, many of whom will become athletes and representatives by proxy. I can't begin to detail or platform how relevant leadership is, but I can barnstorm about how serious the lack of leadership can be in the development of a generation. This is critical to Maine and likely to be one of the most popular initiatives in the State in recent years. I am quietly and tactfully posturing in effort to bring a group that can buy the Penobscot Valley Country Club, a famous Donald Ross course, for the University. In the long term, I would like to create a varsity Mens and Women's varsity team and incorporate the First Tee responsibilities to the students in the program. They will eventually spearhead the local efforts to effect local kids towards definable life skills and, realistically, outcomes. Maine is state that is truly beautiful, ripe with people and natural resources, but lacks one, all important commodity, .....its own leaders. Historically, prominent positions are filled with folks who come from other regions and are looking to fulfill career goals. At some point, we began recognizing that we need to grow our own people and develop our own leadership. That time is coming, ...and recently evidenced at the University of Maine with the hiring of a Head Football Coach and Head Basketball Coach that actually played at the University as students. Their ability to understand the challenges of a land grant school in a rural state will be tantamount to the successful presentation of our product to the rest of the world. With the development of the First Tee in my region, you will likely see future leaders, athletes, coaches, thinkers, and doers that will, by name and deed, demonstrably effect their respective environments. The investment in kids is the wisest we can make and I would like to spearhead the development and promulgation of the foundation and the chapters that will build good people, ... the game changers that we all recognize.