Hello! My name is Mason Miller. I am currently a senior at South Oldham High School. After reading Jake's story and passions in life, I can relate to his love and passion for the outdoors. We are blessed to live in a state that offers so much for people who love to travel and enjoy the outdoors. From a young age, I always enjoyed fishing my grandfather. He would take me fishing often. My parents didn't fish, however they loved the outdoors and we would hike as a family often. They would always search for hiking trails with waterfalls. I'm sure I have seen every waterfall in Kentucky. When I got older, my father who is in the car business and loves anything with a motor decided to purchase an off-road side by side vehicle for the family to go cruise around at all of the fun offroad parks in Kentucky and other states. We would take off road adventures, camp and of course search for waterfalls while out on the trails. At an off-road park, we could go to places far beyond hiking. We would travel through caves, cross creeks, find wild horses, and find the most amazing overlooks you've ever seen. We traveled all over, from Ky, TN, WV and IN. Every place we went was a new adventure. Looking back, I have really grown to love the outdoors, and I am so grateful to have those experiences growing up. My father was in the car business and owned a small used car dealership in Crestwood, Ky. Growing up he taught me many things about cars and owning a small family-owned business. There were many responsibilities and struggles that go along with owning a business. But there were also many benefits and achievements when you make the right decisions and work hard to achieve your goals. He taught me the art of negotiating and how to put together a business deal. I bought my first car at 14 years old from one of our neighbors. He helped set it up and I did the rest and bought a fun, little Volkswagon GT. Once I got a taste of how the business works and watched how much my Dad enjoyed helping his customers each and every day, I hope to achieve the same career for myself. My goal is to continue my education at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky. I have a strong skill set in math, english and social studies. I would like to pursue a degree in Business Mngt. I have also committed to play for the Transylvania Men's Lacrosse Team. I will continue to work hard and stay focused on my future. I am blessed to have this opportunity to continue my education at Transylavania. Thank you for your time and consideration for this scholarship. Mason Miller

I am honored to share a story about my grandfather, Glenn James Russell. My grandfather was born in 1948 in Qeubec, Canada. He later moved to California in the 60's and enlisted to serve in the military at 18 years old. He served in Vietnam until he was injured by a shrapnel metal bomb. It wasn't life threatening injury, but he was released from duty and sent home. My family and I are grateful for his time and service for our great country. My grandfather later married in 1980 and my mother was born in 1981. In 1992 they made the decision to give their daughters a better life and move out of LA county to Crestwood Ky. Just northeast of Louisville. I was born in 2007. I have always been close to my grandfather. He always supported me in all my school and sports activities. At 7 years old he introduced me to the best sport ever played, ice hockey! Believe it or not, Louisville KY has a college hockey team. My grandfather took me to my first hockey game where we got to stand next to the glass, right behind the goalie net and watch the game. I will never forget that game. I looked at my Mom and said, "that's what I want to do." Long story short, I played ice hockey for 8 years. Four of those years on a travel AA team. If you have ever experienced a travel sports team, it is a huge commitment. We traveled all over from TN, AL, WV, IL, PA, IN & OH. It was the best experience I had growing up, thanks to my grandfather. Of course, being from Canada he had hockey in his blood. He grew up playing hockey, as most kids did in Canada. He loved spending his retirement watching me play. He even did most of the traveling with us. It truly brought him so much joy to watch my team play and cheer us on. He was so supportive, and I owe a great deal of gratitude to him for that experience. Both of my parents worked, so he would take me to a lot of my late night practices, sitting in the cold ice rink watching us practice. His commitment was unwavering. As a 18 year old man, I realized how much I learned from my grandfather. His selflessness, sacrifice and the time we would give to others. He was always giving and put his family first. The sacrifices he would give for me and my mother. He was there whenever we needed him. And the most important, his time. Life is short and we need to value our time and spend it together, doing the things we love and passionate about. I am blessed and grateful to call this wonderful man my Grandfather. Thank you for the time and allowing me to share my story and thank you for James' service to this great country. Mason J. Miller

Hello! My name is Mason James Miller from Crestwood, Kentucky. I am a senior at South Oldham High School with a 3.5 GPA. I am captain of the varsity lacrosse team and also enjoy playing ice hockey. I played for the Louisville hockey club travel team for 4 years. My family and I attend Southeast Christian Church and I am also a member of Future Chistian Athlete Club at my high school. Family and faith is my foundation in life and I am grateful for both. My goal is to continue my education at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. God is my strength and foundational in my life. I strive to keep God first, lean on him and trust in his will for my life. Because of my family and the wonderful people of faith who have discipled throughout the years, I have learned the importance of faith and have grown a deeper relationship with God. For that I am so thankful and look for opportunities to share God's love with others. I enjoy my time with coaches and teammates, and we have formed small groups to study God's word. I prayed about my next step in education and believe Transylvania University is the best fit for me. I have enrolled for the Fall semester 2026. I will be the first in my family to attend college. I am so grateful for my family and all the love and support they have given me. Both of my parents work very hard to give my sister and I a wonderful future. After considering my academic strengths, I decided to major in Finance. I have a strong skill set in math, english and social studies. I believe Finance and/or Business Mngt would be the best fit for my future. I have also committed to play for the Transylvania Men's Lacrosse Team. Starting my freshman year at Transylvania will also bring new responsibilities and challenges. I will continue to pray, work hard and stay focused on my future. I am blessed to have this opportunity to continue my education at Transylvania. I am excited about this new journey in my life and will continue plug into small groups while in college and grow in my faith as I enter this next chapter in my life. Thank you for the time and consideration for this scholarship. Sincerely, Mason Miller masonmiller458@gmail.com South Oldham High School