So far in my higher education journey, I have graduated with an associate's degree in fish and wildlife technologies at Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC). I was originally going to attend my dream four-year college called Paul Smith's College right after I graduated high school in 2024, but I had a little piece of advice slip by me from my mother. She told me what she thought. She didn't think I was fully ready to live on a college 4 hours away yet. She didn't think I was fully ready for such a big change in my life. She knew I could handle the academic portion of higher education, but not everything else life may throw at me while still being a student. She insisted that I enrolled into a community college for two years and see what happens afterwards. I was always told to make strong financial decisions in life. With community college being way more affordable, I decided to enroll for an associate's degree in 2024. I was a little disappointed at first, but I saved so much money going there with all my aid and my scholarship I won on Bold two years ago. My enthusiasm for community college began when I quickly realized that FLCC had a transfer agreement with Paul Smith's College. With that being set in stone, I strived for better grades to see if I can get scholarship opportunities since I already knew where the cost would likely be after I graduate from FLCC. Now that I have graduated from FLCC, it was time for me to manage how I wanted to get a bachelor's degree. I had two options, Paul Smith's College, or SUNY Cobleskill. This decision kept me up at night. Both places were surprisingly around the same price which made it harder for me to choose. I knew I would have to take out federal and private loans for both, but that still didn't help me choose. It wasn't until my mother told me this. "You're a smart kid, both places are around the same price, go were you want to go". With that being said, I decided to commit to Paul Smith's College for a bachelors in fish and wildlife science. One thing I like about this degree program, is that it incorporates studies in both fisheries and wildlife management rather than SUNY Cobleskill which divides the two. I can also achieve a title as biologist through the Wildlife Society as well. All these experiences associated with higher education is nice, but I still have to pay for it. To at least cover the first year, I plan to take out federal loans as well as saving to pay the rest of my bill for the upcoming fall semester and possibly the spring semester as well. In the meantime, I will keep applying for scholarships to help alleviate the costs of my goals. As I continue to apply, it gives me hope that my goal of being the first in my family to achieve a bachelor's is not a financial burden I have to risk. With a bachelor's in fish and wildlife science, I plan on entering a career associated with the management of upland game bird species like ringneck pheasants or American woodcock. The populations of such species are declining in the northeast primarily from habitat loss. A career with Pheasant Forever or the Ruffled Grouse and American Woodcock society would make sure my efforts go towards the long-term habitat preservation of such game species. This education will help enhance my abilities to do so.

Being a first-generation college student shows I was the first one in my family to set my standards higher to find a better career regarding my favorite field of study. I could have just gone straight to work into the trades after high school, but I consider it the easy way out from high school for me. Some people have different circumstances but that's my opinion. The main driver that led me to choosing higher education was the influence of my mother's partner after my father passed away in 2019. I believe if he didn't intervene, I wouldn't be writing this essay for this scholarship. He didn't want me in the same way my father is now and get a career in a safe working environment while working for something I truly love doing. After two years of community college, I felt that I had grown as a man and consider myself ready to tackle bigger obstacles. I believe I have proved myself worthy by being tested the last two years with all the assignments, projects, and extracurricular activities I showed up for. If I needed help, I sought it out by maintaining good relations with all of my professors and made connections with many people. When I was registering for Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC), I wanted to take a forestry degree program, but FLCC didn't have one. I was a little disappointed, but I selected the fish and wildlife technologies degree program instead, in which I think was a better choice looking back at the past two years. As of May 2026, I have graduated community college and plan on transferring to a four-year school called Paul Smith's College to obtain a bachelors in fish and wildlife science. After I obtain my bachelors, I plan on having a career in environmental consulting or wildlife management. In the future, there will always be a need to manage the game species in the United States so that future generations of Americans can partake in these recreational activities. I myself enjoy hunting and harvesting games species like my father did. It's not that hunting just helps control game species populations; it raises funds for conservations efforts. For example, the Pittman-Roberston act of 1935 establishes a 11% tax on firearms and ammunition purchases to go towards game species management. License purchases are also used as funds as well. I want to use my career in wildlife management to maintain an optimum sustainable yield of game harvesting so that funds can be raised for future management practices. I believe the next two years will enhance my knowledge and teach me more about wildlife management. With this scholarship, it will relieve the financial stress of higher education and allow me to spend more time on learning and extracurricular activities.

As of right now, I have graduated with my associates degree (A.A.S) in fish and wildlife technologies at Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC). I plan on transferring to my dream school called Paul Smith's College in the Adirondack Mountains to pursue a Bachelor's (B.S.) in fish and wildlife science. It's funny to me that there was a time I couldn't picture myself pursuing higher education. I didn't really give it a thought going through middle school and early into my freshman year of high school. It wasn't until my mother's new parter came into my life after my father passed away. The death did hurt me, but he would have wanted me to keep moving forward with my life and cherish his memories. My mothers partner went to college at Frosberg State in Maryland. He shared how his college experience led him to visiting many countries around the world and great job offers as well. His conversations got the momentum for higher education going as I signed up for my first college class my junior year of high school. Me personally I believe that I started college classes late, yet I didn't really consider it until the end of my sophomore year. While taking college classes in school, I went to trade school at the Finger Lakes Technical and Career Center in Stanley, NY. There I got certified to operate forklifts, skid steers, excavators, bulldozers, and a sawmill. I also learned how to fell trees and arboriculture methods like climbing and pruning. Even though at that point I decided I was going to college, I wanted to get training in the trades as a backup plan in case higher education did not work for me. Thank God I didn't have to use my backup plan. After two years at FLCC, I think I handled college well. There were definitely hard times with assignments, exams, and other stuff life throws you, but I got through it. What I think the best method of enhancing your abilities to pass a class is to talk with your professors, that help me a lot when it came to exam review or peer-review for essays. Not only you're talking to a professor, but you're also talking to a friend. I became good friends with one of my professors at FLCC by helping him out with class equipment and lecture review. He invited me to go trout fishing the day before graduation. Now it's time for me to charge towards challenging heights, build more connections and experience the north country of New York at Paul Smith's College. I was going to go there as a college freshman, but my father would have wanted me to be financially responsible first. With that being said, I only need to pay for two years instead of four. With this scholarship, it will alleviate the stress of my financial circumstances and allow me to allocate more time and commitment to my education and extracurricular activities.

Hello members of Trinity Lodge 127. My name is Mason Bush, I am from Penn Yan, New York, which sits on top of Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes region. I don't live in the town itself, I live out in the country with my mother and sister where I enjoy recreational activities such as hunting, fishing, clay target shooting, and maintaining my parent's property. Throughout middle/high school I competed with the Penn Yan Trap Team and won the state tournament while I was a senior in June 2024. In my junior and senior year, I went to my local trade school called Finger Lakes Technical and Career Center to get certified on operating heavy equipment, maple syrup production, and experience in arboriculture. I figured if college didn't work out for me, I would have a backup plan to go straight into the workforce. When I was first picking colleges in my senior year, I really wanted to go to Paul Smiths College, a place where my late father would have wanted me to go. It seemed like I was going to go, but I wanted to make a strong financial decision. With that being said, I went to Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) first. If I went back in time, I wouldn't have done it differently. I have saved a lot of money just commuting to campus most of the week and made such good connections with the professors. Going in I wasn't too sure on what career path best suited me. I was enrolled in the A.S.S Fish and Wildlife Technologies, which fits right up my alley. My professors gave me valuable insight on the career paths that could be offered not only with an associate's degree but with a bachelor's degree as well. Speaking with my professors got some new goals set for me. After that I wanted to transfer to a four-year college and find a career that relates to my education. As of right now, I am in my last semester at FLCC and planning on transferring to Paul Smith's College. The past two years have allowed me to excel academically at a better rate than when I was in high school. I was able to join Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and cofound the clay target club at FLCC as well. With that being said, I am looking forward to transfer both myself and the education I gained from the past two years into a new chapter of my life. I will continue to thrive academically and still compete in clay target shooting while there in hopes of obtaining a B.S. in Fish and Wildlife Science. I will use my bachelor's degree to acquire a career in either environmental consulting or wildlife management. I want a career that will help benefit the need of human development and environmental conservation.

My mother has always been my biggest supporter and helping hand throughout high school and into college. She always pushes me go above and beyond for the things I love the most. With that being said, I always try to help her with things around the house and run errands if needed because my father isn't with us anymore. He had passed away in a work-related car accident in 2019. That devastated my family, especially my mother. I felt so bad for her, seeing her collapse on the road while my father's boss tried to comfort her. I knew life was going to be way different following that event. It felt like life hit us like a train right out of the blue. With him gone we were all wondering what was going to happen next or how we were going to move on. My mother remained strong for both of me and my sister so we could do the things we loved at not let the death of our father affect us in the future. We were doing what he would have wanted us to do. Cherish his memory and move on with life. We all accepted the fact that he is gone, and we can't do anything about it. Fast forward a few years, now I'm in college and my sister is about to graduate high school this year. It hard to believe I made the choice to enroll into higher education when I was thinking I didn't have a chance. One person told me I should do it though, and that was my mother. She didn't want me to end up in the same position my father is now. She wanted me to go get the education to find a better that doesn't have as many hazards as my fathers. Since then, after she convinced me, I am now on my last semester at community college and plan to transfer to a four-year college in the fall 2026 semester. I am forever grateful my mother got into my ear when I was younger to encourage me to do more, to have more accomplishments than my father as well. Thanks to her efforts by herself she now gets to see both of her kids have a chance enrolling into higher education, something she herself never thought of. She dreamed of a better future for me and my sister and was never selfish about it.

As of right now, I am enrolled in the Fish and Wildlife A.A.S degree program at Finger Lakes Community College. So far, I have enjoyed it. I'm glad my mother pushed me into pursuing higher education as it was what my father wanted me to do. Ever since he passed away, I felt that I needed to do something to help preserve the outdoor activities we used to do. Like hunting, fishing, or property management. So, with that being said, I took the other degree program as an opportunity. I think I enjoyed it more than I would have enjoyed high school where I only had one class related to what I do now. My classes the past two years have trained me to handle certain data sampling techniques like electrofishing, gill netting, small mammal capture, and tree/plant identification. I hope to carry on this knowledge as I transfer into a four-year school called Paul Smith's College for the Fish and Wildlife Science B.S degree.

On August 19, 2019, when I was twelve, my whole world felt like it just got hit by an asteroid. My father passed away unexpectedly from a work-related car accident, leaving me, my mother, and sister. I felt so bad for my mother, seeing her collapse in the middle of the road while my father's boos tried to comfort her. So many questions where in my head surrounding the death. What will happen to us? Will we keep the house? Will I still get to trap shoot? It was a hard time for all of us, especially for my mother. Sure, the death was hard, but my father would have wanted us to move on and cherish his memory. I was not going to let his death effect what goals I have in store for the future. We did get support from all of my father's friends and family though. Many of my father's friend stepped up to help my mother with things around the house and would teach me things I would need to know when becoming a man. One of his friends included me in various hunting trips for species like ducks, geese, and turkeys because it reminded him of his late best friend. Fast forward a few years, me and my family are doing alright and have moved on. I still trap shoot even though it's not with him, but I don't let that effect my competition. Five years after his death, I would win the state championship for the 2024 New York State Trap Shooting Tournament while I was a senior. I'd imagine he saw that in heaven and would be very proud of me. Even in college now, I still shoot with the club that I founded when I enrolled into Finger Lakes Community College. I plan on competing as well when I transfer to Paul Smith's College this fall. Even though he's gone, I was still able to graduate, shoot trap, and compel myself to go get higher education. This is all from the ability to let go and move on. I still cherish his memory every day, but he would want me to do better than him and not end up in the position he is in now. Which is why I keep my grades every semester so I can earn more scholarships. My mother has driven that into my head since then to get me to do something that's worth more than a high school diploma.

In August of 2019, I was angry at the world, frustrated. I wondered why it had to be me and my sister that had to go through losing our father. I was twelve when he would pass away in a work-related car accident. That was one of the hardest days of my life, I felt so bad for my mother, seeing her collapse in the middle of the road while my father's boss tried to comfort her. Out everything life could throw at us, it felt like a train hit my family that day. So many questions where circulating in my head. What will happen to us? Will we stay at our house? Will I still get to compete in trap shooting? Will my sister be able to be an athlete? I was clueless for what might have come afterwords. Even with such a tragedy, he wouldn't want to live in grief over his death. My father would have wanted us to live the life he died trying to work for. So, with that being said, I'd promised myself to do go above and beyond what my father had achieved so I didn't end up the same way he is now. Fast forward a few years i would have to say that me and family are doing alright since the accident. Many of my father's friends stepped up to teach basic things you learn when becoming a man like carpentry, basic electric work, hunting, and dealing with grief. I was still able to trap shoot, even though my father is no longer here to shoot with me. However, I did not allow his death to affect my competition. Five years after his death, I was able to win the state championship in the 2024 New York State Trap Shooting State Tournament as a senior. I would imagine he saw that in heaven and I bet he would be very proud of me. Now I compete for Finger Lakes Community College and look forward to competing for Paul Smith's College this fall as I transfer. I'd have to say I've learned to face the fact that he is gone, and I moved on from his death, as he would want me too. The ability to let go will forever relief prolong depression from a death. Yet I still cherish his memory from his time on earth, as I enroll myself into higher education. I will not let in his death drag me from the long-term goals I have in store for myself and my family.

I spent my whole childhood living in a log cabin in the woods of upstate New York. I enjoy hunting, fishing and taking care of my parent's property. I input methods I learned from Finger Lakes Community College that help combat invasive species like European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica). I would have to thank my father for introducing me into the hobbies that I enjoy now. He taught me how to shoot a firearm, process deer, and fish. We would go fishing all over Yates County, New York but one of those moments set the sparks of what i wanted to for a career. In 2018, we were fishing for brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) at the Keuka Outlet in Dresden, NY. We caught a few but there was one catch that made the day. I had snagged a sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) when I thought I caught a stick. I had no idea what it was, but it looked scary for an 11-year-old. My dad threw it back and we went home and thought little of it. From there I decided that I wanted to help limit or deplete the populations of invasive species in my area by being a fisheries technician. Following that event the idea of it died down for me as I progressed through school, but when my father passed away in a work-related accident I quickly refrained back to what I really wanted to be. My father would have wanted me to truly find the career I would enjoy that would not just benefit my pocket, but the experience of hunting and fishing for future generations throughout the state of New York. With that as my mindset, higher education seemed mandatory for me. I could have worked for the DEC as a laborer, but my mother pushed me to try out community college because she didn't want me to end up like my father. I took her advice and now I'm in my last semester in community college and looking at transfer options like SUNY Cobleskill or Paul Smith's College. I would have to thank both of my parents for making core memories that have inspired me to pursue high education, as well as all the mentors, I've had that helped me figure out career and transfers options as well. Even though I lost my father I was not alone, I had help from many friends and family that got me in the position I'm in now. I'm forever grateful for that.

Being a first-generation college student means that I made the decision to put in more of an effort for a better education to secure better employment opportunities than the rest of my family. All of my family were hard workers; my mother works at the local hospital and my father worked at a well-drilling business before he passed away in a work-related accident. His death hit home hard, I was 12 at the time and life got tough for me and the rest of my family. I was going to follow his footsteps of entering the workforce but a good friend of mine got into my ear. He pressured me into thinking about higher education when I was a junior in high school. I thought about it and realized that I would be in a better position with an associate and a bachelor's degree compared to just a diploma. It took me a little bit to think about it but by the time i was a senior, I was already locked in on college from the pressure of my mother. She didn't want me in the position of my father and wanted my he wanted me to do, get a better future for myself. I took his word for it and now I'm in my second year in Finger Lakes Community College. So far, I'm loving it. I am the president of the clay target club which deals with shooting at moving clay targets with shotguns. We compete nationally through the USA College Clay Target League and go out to represent FLCC at the nationals in Bunker Hill, Illinois annually. This year I'm planning on hosting the first New York State College trap shoot to get more involvement within the state colleges at Shortsville Rod and Gun Club. I was also on the logging sports team for one year as well, winning some competitions at SUNY Cobleskill and University of New Hampshire. My grades had also let me join the two-year honors society called Phi Theta Kappa, which has allowed me to meet with other individuals who perfect the balance of achieving high grades and everything else that life throws at you. All of the activities I describe shows what kind of person that higher education has molded me into. I can be a leader, team player, helping hand, and most importantly, a friend. I'm excited to carry these beliefs as I plan to transfer to either Paul Smith's College or SUNY Cobleskill to get my bachelors.

Deforestation is a concerning impact in some areas in my county and throughout the rest of the country. Yates County, NY is a right to farm county in which 80% of the county is farmland. Yet expansion is still taken place whether it's for profit or to make ends meet. Every now and then I would see stacks of logs on the side of the roads for new fields. This isn't new to the area but its rapidly depleting forests. Same can be said for urbanization, and solar panel development. Solar farms are rapidly increasing as well. It's not just Yates County though, it's happening all over the nation. Small-town Americans are having to make choices on helping the development of their communities or preserve a piece of the environment they own. I believe in preserving my parent's property for as long as possible. There is a healthy population of black ash (Fraxinus nigra) and mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa) which are at risk in New York State. As a concerned citizen we need to tend the mutualistic relationship of human development and environmental conservation by updating zoning laws and pushing for initiatives that protect majority of wooded areas from further development. If the nation is to strive for a better place for future generations, development is necessary, but with the respect of the other organisms that live amongst us as well.

When my Dad passed away back in 2019 from a automobile accident, it hit home hard on me, my sister, and my Mom. I was twelve at the time and going into eight grade. I will admit that my whole view on my future would change from that point onward. I had dreams of going to college to study Natural Resources Conservation. After my Father's death I figured college would be out of questions for me or my family. I thought college would be unobtainable for people like me. My original career path was to work blue collar jobs for the rest of my life like the rest of my family. None of my family members have ever been to college or pursued higher education It wasn't until my junior year in high school that I would consider college, yet I was so hesitant because I didn't want to get me or my Mother in financial trouble involving student loans or any educational expenses. My whole view on college changed after I learned about several scholarship opportunities with the help of my Counselor and Mother. Such scholarships I learned about were on websites like like Bold or were local scholarships in my home town of Penn Yan, NY. My mother would push me to apply to every scholarship that I was eligible for. She didn't want me to have the same fate as my Dad or the rest of my family. Working long hours, coming home with body aches, or having to work well into your seventies. My goal is that with these scholarships I can use them to obtain either a associates or bachelors degree in the field of wildlife management and conservation. This field is the one me and my Dad cherished when he was alive. We could hunt and fish responsibly and manage our hunting grounds for healthy wildlife that can reward us every fall when we would go hunting. With a degree in land management or Natural Resources Conservation, I intend to use these skills to my full potential to preserve and conserve the multiple habits of various living creatures that live in the state of New York I have already applied to four colleges in the state of New York that offer such majors that I can obtain. A career in U.S. Fish and Wildlife as a management officer would be my pick for a career involving my efforts in boosting environmental prosperity.

On August 17, 2019, I found my Dad's truck upside down in a ditch on a road with no cell phone service. I knew he wasn't gonna make it and it shattered my family. I didn't know what was going to happen to us. Now it was just me, my Sister and my Mother. I gained anxiety over what was going to happen next like moving out of our home, or sell things. It was a lot to process for my family, I was all worried about how the future was gonna go. I figured I may never go to college or pursue higher education. I thought I'd be working blue collar jobs like the rest of my family. Eventually, we were able to get over the death. My family still lives in the same house and we continue on with our daily lives. My Father would of been mad at me for not moving on from his death. The sadness eventually faded away as time marched on. My anxiety over his death eventually faded as I realized my family continued to prosper even after his death. Me and my Sister remained highly active in activities like sports or education. Recently I started considering college again but I didn't know if I could afford it. My Mother persuaded me to pursue more education though, She didn't wan't ending up like my father. She wanted me to get out of the blue collar lifestyle and find a nice, safe, lifelong career. I think that pursing a college degree would make my father proud. It would ensure me that I wouldn't have to do any kind of dangerous task for a life long career. If I did get a college degree, I would be the first one in my family to have one. Getting one could inspire my future children to pursue higher education as well. I think the death of my father shows how me and my family got over the fact that's he gone but still in our hearts. We as a family got over the financial hardship, anxiety, or despair. Living through these hard times can show character of how people deal with these situations. I think with me pursuing higher education would broaden my horizons on how I view the career market. I would get more career choices my Father ever had and pursue higher paying jobs that would benefit my family.

On August 17,2019, I found my Dad's truck upside down in a ditch on a road with no cell phone service. I knew he wasn't gonna make it and it shattered my family. I didn't know what was going to happen to us. Now it was just me, my Sister and my Mother. I gain anxiety over what was going to happen next like moving out of our home, or sell things.It was a lot to process for my family, I was all worried about how the future was gonna go. I figured I may never go to college or pursue higher education. I though I'd be working blue collar jobs like the rest of my family. Eventually, we were able to get over the death. My family still lives in the same house and we continue on with our daily lives. My Father would of been mad at me for not moving on from his death. The sadness eventually faded away as time marched on. My anxiety over his death eventually faded as I realized my family continued to prosper even after his death. Me and my sister remained highly active in activities like sports or education. Recently I started considering college again but I didn't know if I could afford it. My Mother persuaded me to pursue more education though, she didn't wan't ending up like my father. She wanted me to get out of the blue collar lifestyle and find a nice, safe, lifelong career. I think that pursing a college degree would make my father proud. It would ensure me that I wouldn't have to do any kind of dangerous task for a life long career. If I did get a college degree, I would be the first one in my family to have one. Getting one could inspire my future children to pursue higher education as well. I think the death of my father shows how me and my family got over the fact that's he gone but still in our hearts. We as a family got over the financial hardship, anxiety, or despair. Living through these hard times can show character of how people deal with these situations. I think with me pursuing higher education would broaden my horizons on how I view the career market. I would get more career choices my Father ever had and pursue higher paying jobs that would benefit my family.

When my Dad passed away back in 2019 from a automobile accident, it hit home hard on me, my sister, and my Mom. I was twelve at the time and going into eight grade. I will admit that my whole view on my future would change from that point onward. I had dreams of going to college to study Natural Resources Conservation. After my Father's death I figured college would be out of questions for me or my family. I thought college would be unobtainable for people like me. My original career path was to work blue collar jobs for the rest of my life like the rest of my family. None of my family members have ever been to college or pursued higher education It wasn't until my junior year in high school that I would consider college, yet I was so hesitant because I didn't want to get me or my Mother in financial trouble involving student loans or any educational expenses. My whole view on college changed after I learned about several scholarship opportunities with the help of my counselor and Mother. Such scholarships I learned about were on websites like like Bold or were local scholarships in my home town of Penn Yan, NY. My mother would push me to apply to every scholarship that I was eligible for. She didn't want me to have the same fate as my Dad or the rest of my family. Working long hours, coming home with body aches, or having to work well into your seventies. My goal is that with these scholarships I can use them to obtain either a associates or bachelors degree in the field of wildlife management and conservation. This field is the one me and my Dad cherished when he was alive. We could hunt and fish responsibly and manage our hunting grounds for healthy wildlife that can reward us every fall when we would go hunting. With a degree in land management or Natural Resources Conservation, I intend to use these skills to my full potential to preserve and conserve the multiple habits of various living creatures that live in the state of New York I have already applied to four colleges in the state of New York that offer such majors that I can obtain. A career in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife as a management officer would be my pick for career involving my efforts in boosting environmental prosperity.

To take action against climate change, we must understand that climate change is a natural occurrence for the world. Throughout many centuries our climate has shifted in various ways. Natural actions that caused climate change can be volcanoes or natural disasters. Even though climate change is a natural occurrence, it can be propelled by human activity. To take global action on subject requires individual efforts throughout the world that could easily benefit themselves or communities. Such actions can be in everyday routines like shorter showers, carpooling or composting. If an individual can do their part, it benefits the whole world and future generation. As a whole world or United Nations it would be difficult due to certain countries disregarding climate pledges due to their high manufacturing facilities. Such countries include China, India and the United States. Throughout the United States several states inputted climate legislation in the future years to come. States like mine which is New York have inputted a ban of new gas powered vehicles in 2035 and another law stating that all new homes built after 2027 have to be electric heating. This can reduce emissions but this won't benefit people living in rural New York like me. My home is heated by a coal stove, and if we loose power in a snow storm, I won't be able to heat my home. I have to use a kerosene heater until the power comes back on, which can take hours or days. I think these new climate laws should be enacted in the cities where emissions and air quality are worse than rural areas. With the amount of vegetation and wildlife in rural areas, it can sustain the small amounts of emission created by small communities.

My name is Mason Bush, I am from a small town called Penn Yan. I am an older brother to a sister and a son to a single Mother. My Father passed away in 2019 in an automobile accident. It was hard to process and overcome but I did eventually. I didn't have time to become depressed, I had things to do. I continued with my family and the things I love to do. Like hunting, fishing, trap shooting and history. Over time I've learned more and gained new skills thanks to my actions in the academic field. When I was a junior and a senior, I took a Conservation and Heavy equipment program to find a high-paying job in the trades or a nice part-time job for college. I would learn how to run heavy equipment, cut down trees, do erosion control, and climb trees. This helped me become more active and more agile to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The school that helped me get to my BOCES program is Penn Yan Academy. Throughout my junior and senior years, I took college courses so I wouldn't have to take large amounts of classes throughout my college experience. The classes I took are AP US History, Composition I, and AP Economy and Government. Since I already had enough high school credits by my junior year. I also attended and participated in several clubs and sports teams that involved volunteering. For my junior and senior years, I participated in the Pen Yan/Dundee Football Team. I didn't get much playtime but I was happy to be there. For the football team, I would sell spaghetti dinner tickets and then help out by packaging the orders for customers. I was also on the clay target shooting team for Penn Yan as well. I have won awards for several shoots I attended throughout high school. For the team I would sell raffle tickets to raise money for our ammunition, also I would wash dishes for our shooting location, The Seneca Lake Duck Hunters Club. They would have a fish fry once a month and I would attend and participate in the event. The FFA is another organization I attended as well. I too competed in forestry competitions and have won awards in that field too. I have participated in many hours of volunteering in FFA since I started in my sophomore year. Throughout my time at FFA, I would volunteer in activities to help fund trips or activities. I helped park cars at the Steam show, make ice cream at our annual cider day, and do occasional activities such as the toy auction. I would volunteer so the cost of my state convention trip would decrease. If I were to start my charity, My main mission or problem I would solve is unemployment. I would create an organization that helped find people jobs so people don't have to live off unemployment benefits for the rest of their lives. The amount of people on unemployment benefits, lowers the amount of benefits that can be given to an individual, so there should be an easier and quicker way of searching for employment.

With the resources and innovations that help build cities, communities or small towns, civilization can thrive with both natural and traditional resources. I think that a balance must occur between renewable energy to traditional energy to sustain our industrial might and to preserve our environment. There are certain areas of technology where renewable energy seems worthy of mankind's use. Renewable energy is energy that can be reused over and over. Equipment like solar panels, windmills and electric vehicles. Power generators that can run on alternative energy could help lower the input of fossil fuels on the power grid. Electric vehicles could help lower emissions in big cities or any place, but electric vehicles require huge amounts of energy to charge the batteries. Such energy comes from diesel generators that can input these huge amounts of energy. Also to find lithium for the battery, it requires huge amounts of scrape mining that can clear mass amounts of areas, involving heavy equipment that is possibly running off fossil fuels. Therefore I don't see electric vehicles as a completely environmentally friendly solution in the future. On the other hand, there is traditional energy, which is energy sources that are already in use like diesel, propane, coal, gasoline or natural gas. These energy sources can be defined as fossil fuels, which are nonrenewable energy sources. Over time mankind has learned or innovated to make the greatest output from fossil fuels. Several inventions were created to run off of fossil fuels such as the combustible engine, powerplants or the steam engine. Even today traditional energy is still in use to build cities or to heat homes. The abundance of fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas, makes it easier for people with lower incomes to heat their homes or drive their vehicles. Though electric vehicles are still being innovated today, I don't see the electric motor being inserted in pieces of equipment that require huge amounts of power. Equipment like tractors, construction vehicles or tractor-trailers that hydraulic pumps move the machines around. Some jobs require this much power and effectiveness and the electric motor is not qualified to meet the needs of heavy equipment operators. Also, equipment run on traditional energy is cheaper than the electric models, due to the abundance of fuel and low maintenance requirements for an equipment unit. Especially in rural areas the need for equipment with power is crucial, especially in the winter. Accumulating snow needs to be pushed off roads and that requires high power machines.

If I were to have everyone in the world to read one book, it would be an influential book that inspires people to do great things. The book I'm talking about is "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This book was written in 1922 and serves as an example of the futility of the American Dream. Taking place in the roaring 20s, a time where financial prosperity thrusted money into the pockets of many Americans trying to obtain the American dream. Several characters within this book are either chasing the dream or have already obtained it, characters like Nick, Gatsby or Tom are such examples from the book that are chasing this dream. The American Dream is a goal or stopping point when you have wealth and power at your disposal. But what is beyond the dream? There could be more things to accomplish other than that dream. If an individual already accomplish this goal, what's next? The American dream could lose its value or meaning when it is accomplished. There's not much a person could work for after obtaining this lifestyle It's seen throughout the book that Gatsby, who already has wealth and a mansion seeks another goal. That goal is to get Daisy back, which was practically impossible since she is married. I think that Fitzgerald's message to the reader is that the American dream looses it's meaning as it's accomplished. I think this book would help guide others into searching for other goals than wealth and first class living.

With the scholarship that was funded by many generous donors, I will use this fund to lower the cost of achieving my academic goals. The college I plan on attending for a bachelor's degree is Paul Smith's College in Upstate New York. This particular college contains in my opinion one of the best Environmental science and forestry courses I've seen in New York. With the education, I can receive in this college I plan to become a worker in the field of conservation and wildlife management. I believe that New York state has a huge absence of land managers throughout the Department of Environmental and Conservation, With small amounts of land managers it's hard for state officials to reach out to areas that are in dire need of environmental growth and support from human involvement. A land manager is an individual who can work for himself or for a local and state government that inspects and monitors the overall health and growth of a wildlife area. Wildlife managers decide whether or not a certain area could be infected with diseases or an invasive species has been introduced. Invasive species have been a problem in my region of Upstate New York. The Gypsy Moth had been an impending problem for the environment where I live. Their larva would eat the leaves of the trees and spawn off bark which would harm tree bark and break down the bark structure. Eventually, the tree would die due to the lack of leaves that were eating and the spawning areas of the Gypsy Moth. This ongoing issue is due to the lack of environmental efforts in my area and the lack of knowledge about these types of Moths. To contain and prevent the spread of invasive species requires knowledge that colleges may teach to further enhance the abilities of people to prevent the spread of invasive species like the Gypsy Moth. I think that with the help of learning how to become a New York state land manager, I could make a change in the State's environment and the threat of invasive species. With this scholarship, I can further enhance my skills with the learning-based knowledge provided by Paul Smith's College that could make an impact for all New Yorkers. The scholarship provided would be something to look back on how I managed to get a career I love and what work I put in and the things I did to obtain my career.

My family have been farmers or heavy equipment operators. My family has been living in low income situations for decades. None of my family members have been to college because of the low income or their own personal choices. Manual labor was viewed as a regular job throughout my family. My father did well drilling and my grandfather did farming. Same as my great grandfather whom also did truck driving. I myself worked two summers on a lawn crew and I didn't enjoy the manual labor as time went on. Also my boss wasn't very nice and would often make fun of me. Every day I would see my father come home and complain about his job, All the things he did or what people he had to deal with, Like who messed up or how long he worked. He would come home tired and out of energy to do anything. He would get up a 5 am and work till 5 in the evening. Sometimes he would of been gone for weeks to go drill wells as far away as Binghamton or Buffalo. One time he was gone for most of December. His job would eventually kill him back in 2019. In a fatal car accident. I saw the blue collar working system as dangerous and tiresome. Though blue collar jobs are much needed in society and helped and built America. But still I don't want too do manual labor for 40 to 50 years of my life and end up with health problems when I retire like my Grandfather whom has several health problems from decades of work or my Uncle whom has to take a part time job hauling coal because his social security doesn't cover most of his expenses. To do go to work early in the morning, Do the same work and then come home late and doing the same thing again everyday sounds boring and tiresome. How much of that time could you spend with your family? I don't want to end up living paycheck to paycheck of a job that you give more than you take. I don't wanna waste more than have of my life working everyday at a job that I'm not gonna like in the long run. I think with some higher education I can find a career that I will love and make money little manual labor and good health.

I've been playing Minecraft since I was little. I've made countless worlds and memories amongst the square world. I've built things that could stretch beyond my imagination. Like forts, house or underground strongholds. I've made new friends along the way but fought against enemies and monsters. Minecraft was the game I could let my imagination grow and build and do whatever I want, to be able to put in the time and effort to have a little fun in life. I deeply appreciate what Mojang has been doing over the years since 2011 to make Minecraft a better and the game more fun to play. All the updates over the years had made the whole experience better, Like adding new potions, redstone building materials or new weapons to defend yourself. Mojang has really put in the effort to make the most out of a very simple game. But the one thing I like the most about Minecraft is when I'm down in the caverns or up on the surface and the sun's going down. My favorite piano song starts to play as the blocky sin sets over the realm to explore, ending a day of imagination to start a new.

The one book I think everyone in the world have read is "The Great Gastby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I think it's a great story that takes place in a crazy time in American history. We're many people including some of the characters are chasing the futile American Dream. But what happens when the individual has accomplished that dream? In the book we see several individuals were the dream losses it's meaning as they accomplished it. For Gastby he got his wealth and manison. For him the American dream lost it's meaning for him. He had another craving, Daisy whom was already married and hadn't seen or heard of Gatsby since world war one. The individual or people could see the American dream as a set of goals especially as some of the characters in this book. A set of guidelines of success and greatness. I think this book would also cover the futility of the American dream as well. If the individual accomplished the dream and it's goals what is there to accomplish beyond it. The individual could make it but loose it's drive to even more greatness or success even though the individual has a manison or tons of money. For any people not just Americans, I hope for them to seek out goals beyond my nations dream. Take the book presented in this essay as a message. There's more things to accomplish than a one national dream when there could be 330 million of them. I hope people would read this and look for goals beyond the American dream.