The wisest thing I’ve ever heard is “Stop and Smell the Roses”. My mother uses this phrase all the time. We are a society that is always in a rush. We want, what we want, now. We tend to overlook the important things in life because we are also in a rush. Sometimes, we need to slow down and stop being in a rush. Sometimes we need to stop and smell the roses. My mom started using the phrase “Stop and Smell the Roses” when my father unexpectedly passed away. Mom and I started a family connect night after dad passed. She wanted one night where we paused the world to be with each other. We usually did family connect night on a Friday night. On family connect night, we talk, order pizza, play several games of cribbage and end with a movie. My mom used the phrase “Stop and Smell the Roses” several times during Covid. When Covid hit last year and we had to quarantine, our lives were put on pause. Covid made many people including myself think about our mortality. I watched the news in horror as I found out that many people in the world lost their lives to this deadly virus. I also learned about family members that had to be hospitalized due to the virus. Thankfully, my family members recovered. Covid forced us to slow down. My family and I were able to enjoy each other’s company every day not just during family connect night without having to rush to somewhere. It allowed us to sit together as a family every night and enjoy talking to each other. I feel that even though Covid was a bad thing, it brought my family closer together. We stopped and smelled the roses.

For some individuals, life is hard and the person might give up on life. For others life is a daily struggle which requires the person to keep fighting to beat the odds. The latter person is me. Though my life has been challenging at times, I made the choice to never give up. I won’t let my personal struggles define me or get me down. When I was four, my father passed away due to Sarcoidosis. Losing my father changed my life. My dad and I did stuff together. I still miss the emotional support I wanted and needed from a male father figure. Growing up in a single parent household opened the door to financial insecurity. I can only imagine the stress my mother incurred raising me without dad’s emotional and financial support. Even though my poor mother worked longer hours, she still found time to nurture my love of the outdoors and my love of animals. She also encouraged my love of sports by signing me up and attending all my sporting events. My mother tried to fill my father’s shoes. She later became my den leader when I joined the boy scouts. As the years passed, I encountered more hardships. I was diagnosed with Perthes, a physical, debilitating condition. I used to be very active. I played basketball, baseball, soccer, and tackle football. I also hiked, ran and climbed. Due to my condition, I had two surgeries that enabled me to walk. My surgeon said I was disabled and needed to change my life in order to have a pain free adulthood. His words fueled my internal fire. In between school, volunteering, visits to the surgeon, physical therapy, surgeries, hospitalizations and rehabilitation, I became an Eagle scout. My Eagle project, consisted of building closets to store bedding, sanitary supplies and food for an emergency homeless shelter. I also became an assistant football coach at my high school and volunteered over 300 hours at a veterinary clinic. I’m a member of the National Honor Society and NTHS Honor Society. I’m a Certified Veterinary Assistant, and Veterinarian CPR Certified. I know my life has changed and I cam’t do what I did before. I believe I overcame the negative things that happened to me because I have remained a positive person. I also had people rooting for me every step of the way. My mother has been my biggest cheerleader. Every thing I do, I do it to honor my father. I always think, what would my father or mother want me to do. I have days I feel down on myself. I look in the mirror and tell myself that I can do more. I can’t let the fact that I can’t do the things I used do before, bring me down. I have goals and I admit I have to talk myself up. I know I’m going to have more challenges in the future. I know I will have challenges with college, loans, money, classes, etc. I can’t let the challenges stand in my way, or stop me from getting where I want to go. Ive learned that the path I take in life, is the path I choose to walk. Therefore, the path I choose to walk will be a long one. I am walking towards becoming a veterinarian. I believe that my resilience will help me in the future. I’m a focused person and I know I can control my destiny no matter what happens in my life. My personal experience has made me a stronger person, and more resilient.

For some individuals, life is hard and the person might give up. While others face struggles on a daily basis but make an ultimate choice to never give up. The latter person is me. Though at times my life has been challenging, I have made the choice to never give up. When I was four, my father passed away due to a heart arrhythmia caused by Sarcoidosis. My dad never attended college and some of his hopes and dreams were to see me go to college. My dad also wanted me to be a boy scout. He thought scouting and volunteering would teach me perseverance and humility. Sometimes, I am afraid I will forget what my dad’s face looks like and that makes me angry. However, I use the anger to fuel my internal fire. Everything I do in life, I do it for my father. I became a cub scout in the first grade. I was invited to attend an Eagle Scout Court of Honor. The Eagle Scout stood in front of the room and talked about his Eagle Scout project. I knew then, I wanted to make a difference and be an Eagle Scout. I know the odds were against me since not many children make it to Eagle. As the years passed, I encountered more hardships. I was diagnosed with Perthes disease when I was twelve. Before Perthes, I played basketball, baseball, soccer and tackle football. My surgeon said I couldn’t play any contact sports. My condition motivated me to work harder. In between going to school, visits to the orthopedic surgeon, physical therapy, surgeries and rehabilitation, I continued to work on completing the merit badges I needed to get my Eagle rank. I also volunteered. Even though I couldn’t play sports, I found a way around that by accepting a position to be an assistant football coach at my high school. My surgeon said I was disabled and I would have to change my life in order to have a pain free adulthood. I know my life has changed and I can’t do what I did before. However, it doesn't mean that I can’t do better things with my life and find ways to give back. In 2019, I completed my Eagle Scout project. My project consisted of leading a team of volunteers to build a closet to store bedding, sanitary supplies and food for an emergency homeless shelter. In 2020, I became an Eagle Scout. Education is very important to me. I’m a member of the National Honor Society and NTHS. I’m a Certified Veterinary Assistant, and Veterinarian CPR Certified. I hope to one day be a veterinary doctor. In the future, I want to open a veterinary clinic and work with low income pet owners by providing veterinary care at a discount. I’ve learned no matter what happens in my life, I control my destiny. I’ve learned you can’t et your disability or your losses control your life. I’ve learned having a positive attitude helps motivate me. I’ve tried to use the low periods in my life as an inspiration to reach my career and personal goals. I can’t let the fact that I can’t do the things I used to do before, bring me down. I have goals and I admit I have to talk myself up. I know I’m going to have more challenges in the future. I have learned that the path in life you take, is the path you choose to walk. Therefore, the path I choose to walk is to become a veterinarian.

When I was four, my father passed away due to an autoimmune disease called Sarcoidosis. My fathers passing, made my mother, a single mother. It has been financial and emotionally hard on her. I know it hasn't been easy on her, as she not only had to raise me but my two older sibling, all without losing our home. As the years passed, I encountered more hardships. I was diagnosed with Perthes disease when I was twelve. Before Perthes, I played basketball, baseball, soccer and tackle football. I was told I couldn't play contact sports. I finally had two surgeries that enabled me to walk. My condition motivated me to work harder. In between going to school, volunteering, monthly visits to the orthopedic surgeon, physical therapy, surgeries and rehabilitation, I continued to work on completing the merit badges I needed to get my Eagle rank. Even though I could no longer play sports, I found a way around that by accepting a position as an assistant football coach at my high school. My surgeon said I was disabled and I would have to change my life in order to have a pain free adulthood. What he didn’t understand was that his words helped fuel my internal fire to work harder. I know my life has changed and I can't do what I did before. However, it doesn't mean that I can’t do better things with my life and find ways to give back. In 2019, I completed my Eagle Scout project. My project consisted of leading a team of volunteers to build a closet to be used to store bedding, sanitary supplies and food for an Emergency Homeless Shelter located at St John’s Church in Peabody, In August of 2020, I became an Eagle Scout. Education has always been very important to me. I am a member of the National Honor Society and National Technical High School Honor Society. I am a Certified Veterinary Assistant, and I am Veterinarian CPR Certified. The scholarship money would help finance my education. It would also alleviate some of the financial burden my mother is incurring by taking out federal parent loans. One of my main objectives upon completing all the requirements to be a successful veterinarian is to open my own practice. I feel very strongly that in order for us to be positive members in society, we have to give back, not just have a hand out to receive. I hope to be able to give back to my community by offering discount veterinary prices for low income families. People love their fur-babies ,however veterinary care is very expensive. Some people may not seek care for their fur-babies because of the high cost associated with their care. My 2nd objective is to help my mother for a change. Mom has worked very hard to raise me by herself and she not only supports me financially but also emotionally and physically. I want to take care of her for a change. I want to buy a home and have a room for her. I want to make enough money so she can retire and not worry about the bills. My third goal is to pay off my loans. I have applied for many scholarships but I know I am going to need more money because I have a long academic road ahead of me. I am not afraid of hard work because I come from a long line of hard working individuals. Whether I get this scholarship or not, one day you will know me as Dr. Michael David O'Connor.

My greatest achievement to date was earning the highest honor a boy scout can earn, the Eagle Scout award. To earn the Eagle Scout award, I had to be an active member in our troop, earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, hold a leadership position, and work on a service project that benefits an organization other than the Boy Scouts of America. My road to become an Eagle Scout started in the first grade. I started off as a tiger cub scout in first grade and had to complete numerous requirements in order to move ranks. When I was in the fifth grade, I crossed over into the boy scouts. Just like in cub scouts, I had to complete requirements and volunteer to move ranks. A boy scout has to earn a total of twenty-one merit badges. Of the twenty-one merit badges, there are ten merit badges that are mandatory. These merit badges are First Aid, Citizenship in the world, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Communication, Cooking, Personal Fitness, Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Science, Personal Management, Family Life and Swimming. The mandatory merit badges taught me many things, some of which were how to manage my finances, ways to stay healthy, be a better citizen, and how to be environmentally helpful and how to be an effective and confidant speaker. I also had to be an active member of my troop, Troop 119. Some of the leadership positions I held were den chief, quartermaster and Senior Patrol leader. As a den chief, I mentored cub scouts and worked with a den leader to help cub scouts achieve their ranks. As a quartermaster, I had to take care of the equipment that the troop used for camping. The highest position a boy scout can hold is a Senior Patrol leader. As a Senior Patrol leader, I attended all meeting with the Scoutmaster and with the troop committee. I planned all our meetings and also sought input from the boy scouts for all our outings and campouts. My Eagle Scout project was to lead a group of volunteers to build an emergency homeless shelter closet at St John’s Church in Peabody. The shelter will be used during inclement weather. The shelter needed a place to store all the bedding and bathing supplies to run the homeless shelter. I raised funds to create two closets and a space to hold a washer/dryer. The space for the washer dryer has a washer/dryer hook up in place as well. The volunteers and I painted, created walls, installed lighting, installed shelving, flooring, and ceiling tiles to create a warm place for the workers to store the supplies for the shelter. This experience made me feel good to give back to the people that need the most from us. The homeless have very little resources. This shelter, will provide them a safe space to stay during very hot weather or during extreme cold. I feel my training as a boy scout provided me the resources I needed to be confident when I spoke to department stores asking for donations. In the future, I hope to continue to give back. I hope to become a veterinarian. Upon graduating from a veterinary college, I then will have to work at a veterinary practice until I can open my own practice or join a practice as a partner. One of my main objectives upon completing all the requirements to be a successful veterinarian is to open my own practice where I can not only make money but also help low income families. I feel very strongly that in order for us to be positive members in society, we have to give back, not just have a hand out to receive. One day I hope to be able to give back to my community by offering discount prices for low income families. People love their fur-babies. However, veterinary care is very expensive and some people may not seek care for their fur-babies because of the high cost associated with their care. Whether I get this scholarship or not, one day you will know me as Dr. Michael David O'Connor.

When I was four, my father passed away due to an autoimmune disease called Sarcoidosis. When my father was a child, he was a boy scout. He told my mother, he wanted me to be a boy scout. My father felt that being a scout and volunteering would teach me perseverance and to be humble. When I was in 1st grade, I became a cub scout. In fifth grade, I moved onto the boy scouts. As the years passed, I encountered more hardships. I was diagnosed with Perthes disease when I was twelve. Before Perthes, I played basketball, baseball, soccer and tackle football. The orthopedic surgeon said I couldn't play any contact sports. My two surgeries enabled me to walk without crutches. My condition motivated me to work harder. I refused to give up. In between going to school, volunteering, monthly visits to the orthopedic surgeon, physical therapy, surgeries and rehabilitation, I continued to work on completing the merit badges I needed to get my Eagle rank. Even though I could no longer play sports, I found a way around that by accepting a position to be an assistant football coach at my high school. My surgeon said I was disabled and I would have to change my life in order to have a pain free adulthood. His words fueled my internal fire to work harder. I know my life has changed and I can no longer do what I did before. However, it doesn't mean that I can’t do better things with my life and find ways to give back. In 2019, I completed my Eagle Scout project. My project consisted of leading a team of volunteers to build a closet to store bedding, sanitary supplies and food for an emergency homeless shelter located at St John’s Church in Peabody. In August of 2020, I became an Eagle Scout. Education is very important to me. I am a member of the National Honor Society and National Technical High School Honor Society. I am a Certified Veterinary Assistant, and Veterinarian CPR Certified. I hope to one day be a veterinary doctor. I want to open a veterinary clinic and work with low income pet owners by providing veterinary care at a discount. I do have days that I feel down on myself. I then look in the mirror and tell myself that I can do more. I can’t let the fact that I can’t do the things I used do before, bring me down. I have goals and I admit I have to talk myself up. I know I am going to have more challenges in the future. I know I will have challenges with college, loans, money, classes, etc. I can’t let the challenges that try to stand in my way, stop me from getting where I want to go. I have learned that the path in life you take, is the path you choose to walk. Therefore, the path I am walking is to become a veterinarian.

The most amazing thing I did was to earn the Boy Scout Eagle Award. To earn the Eagle Scout award, I had to be an active member in our troop, earn a minimum of 21 merit badges, hold a leadership position, and work on a service project that benefits an organization other than the Boy Scouts of America. My Eagle project was to lead a group of volunteers to build an emergency homeless shelter closet at St John’s Church in Peabody. The shelter needed a place to store all the bedding and bathing supplies to run the homeless shelter.

No truer statement exists then life is short. When a life ends, those left behind have to pick up the pieces of their broken heart as they continue forward into an unknown future. In 2007, at the age of four, my young life was shattered when my father David passed away due to a heart arrhythmia caused by systematic Sarcoidosis. In the blink of an eye, my mother Tammy became a single parent to three children. My mother and my siblings say things were easier when my father was alive. Sadly, our home and our life has been incomplete since my father passed away. The financial changes were felt almost immediately. When my father was alive, the combined income of both my mom and dad was just enough that we never felt like we were missing out on anything. We used to go on vacations every year and go out to eat a couple of times a month. The day my father died, my brother was attending an out of state college but my sister still lived at home because she was still in high school. Even as young as I was, I noticed the day my father passed away everything seemed to change quickly. Now my mother had to work longer hours just so she could pay the bills and not lose the home my father and her created for our family. My heart hurts for my mother because I can only imagine the stress she felt and still feels as she tries to raise her children without my dad’s emotional and financial support. Since we were a single parent household, my older siblings had to take on a larger role. My sister helped by dropping me off and picking me up from school. She also watched me in the summers because my mother worked. The summer after my father passed away, my brother returned home and ended up dropping out of college. My brother started working at Walgreens full time to help pay the bills. When I think about all the hardships my mother and my older sibling had to overcome just to help raise me and keep a roof over our heads, it makes me melancholy. My mother has never had an easy life. Mom has struggled and worked for everything she has. My mom and dad had my brother and sister when they were very young. Mom said that when they found out I was coming they were filled with joy because they were older and they felt they could now enjoy watching one of their children grow up. However, now that my father was gone, my mother had no choice but to be my mother and my father figure. Though this was financially and emotionally hard on her, she did the best she could. My mother nurtured my love of sports, my love of the outdoors and my love of animals. It was this love of animals that led me to my future career. I want to be a veterinarian. As a young child, I used to tell my mother I wanted to be veterinarian. I pursued this dream by attending a technical high school and being accepted into their veterinary science program. In order to be a veterinarian, you have to attend a four year college and get a Bachelors of Science degree. In the fall, I will be attending UMASS Amherst. Once I gradate from UMAS Amherst, I will attend a veterinary school and earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and obtain a license to work as a veterinarian. My dream is to attend the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University to get my Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. I know my mother is concerned with the cost of college. I don't want my mother to worry that the cost of college, will break her financially. I am going to do work study and work in the summers to save money to help pay the loans. The maximum amount a freshmen can borrow in federal loans is $5,500. The cost of attending UMASS Amherst is over $33k a year. I’ve fortunately been awarded grants, and some scholarships however the cost of attending college is still too high and we need more money to make up the difference in shortcomings. My mother will still have to apply for federal loans to make up the difference. Winning this scholarship would help my mother and I tremendously. Winning $1,000 dollars would reduce the amount we have to borrow in federal loans. It would be one less headache for my mother, and would make our financial burden a little easier to carry. I may have lost my father but my family remains united. Our love for each other and for life in general only intensified because we know the value of family. One day, I want to be able to support my mother the way she has supported me and my siblings. I want to be the one to take care of my mother for a change. I want to make enough money so she can retire and not have to worry about the bills. I want to pay off my loans, so that it is not a burden on her mind. I have applied for many scholarships but I know I am going to need to raise more money because I have a long academic road ahead of me. I am not afraid of hard work because I come from a long line of hard working individuals. Once I am a veterinarian, I plan to open a veterinary clinic. I also want to provide low income pet owners veterinary care at a discount. Veterinary care is very expensive, and every one deserves a chance to provide veterinary care for their fur babies. I know whether I get this scholarship or not, one day you will know me as Dr. Michael David O'Connor.

For some individuals, life is hard and the person might give up. For other individuals, life may be a daily struggle that requires the person to keep fighting to beat the odds. The latter person is me. Even though my life has been challenging at times, I made the choice to never give up. I do not let my personal struggles define me or get me down. My personal losses and my personal challenges only makes me work harder so that I can be a better person. When I was four, my father passed away due to an autoimmune disease called Sarcoidosis. There are times I get to think that I might forget what my dad looked like. I can clearly remember his face and how much he enjoyed playing with me and teaching me. When my father was a child, he was a boy scout. He told my mother that he wanted me to be a boy scout. My father felt that being a scout and volunteering would teach me perseverance and to be humble. I became a cub scout in the first grade. As a cub scout, I was invited to attend an Eagle Scout Court of Honor. The young man, now an Eagle Scout stood in front of the room and talked about his Eagle Scout project. I knew then I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to be an Eagle Scout. My mother told me that it would take years of working hard and volunteering in order to become an Eagle Scout. As the years passed, I encountered more hardships. I was diagnosed with Perthes disease when I was twelve years old. Before being diagnosed with Perthes, I played basketball, baseball, soccer and tackle football. I was told I could no longer play any contact sports. I had to use crutches and be non weight bearing on my left leg for a year and a half. I finally had two surgeries that enabled me to walk. My condition motivated me to work harder. I refused to give up. In between going to school, monthly visits to the orthopedic surgeon, physical therapy, surgeries and rehabilitation, I continued to work on completing the merit badges I needed to get my Eagle rank. I also continued to volunteer. Even though I could no longer play sports, I found a way around that by accepting a position to be an assistant football coach at my high school. My orthopedic surgeon said I was disabled and I would have to change my life in order to have a pain free adulthood. What he didn’t understand was that his words only helped to fuel my internal fire to work harder. I know my life has changed and I can no longer do what I did before. However, it doesn't mean that I can’t do better things with my life and find ways to give back. In October of 2019, I completed my Eagle Scout project My project consisted of leading a team of volunteers to build a closet to be used to store bedding, sanitary supplies and food for an Emergency Homeless Shelter located at St John’s Church in Peabody, MA. In August of 2020, I became an Eagle Scout. My education has always been very important to me. I am a member of the National Honor Society and National Technical High School Honor Society. I am a Certified Veterinary Assistant, and I am Veterinarian CPR Certified. I hope to one day be a veterinary doctor. In the future, I want to open a veterinary clinic and work with low income pet owners by providing veterinary care at a discount. I do have many days that I feel down on myself. I then look in the mirror and tell myself that I can do more. I can’t let the fact that I can’t do the things I used do before, bring me down. I have goals and I admit I have to talk myself up. I also let my friends and family, bring me up too. I know I am going to have more challenges in the future. I know I will have challenges with college, loans, money, classes, etc. I can’t let the challenges that try to stand in my way, stop me from getting where I want to go. I have learned that the path in life you take, is the path you choose to walk. Therefore, the path I am walking is to become a veterinarian.