Strength is what I see every day when I head home. Growing up in rural Iowa in a family of four, my parents' supportive and loving relationship created a nurturing environment for my sister and me. My sister was thriving in her first year of college, and I was enjoying my senior year of high school. Both of my parents encouraged me to explore different interests. However, I lost half of my support team this past November when my father unexpectedly passed away from a fungal disease called histoplasmosis. Initially, the community support was overwhelmingly present, offering a cushion during the early days of our grief. As time passed and community support waned, my mother has taken the reins and led our family; a testament to her incredible strength and resilience. Having just finished personal investments and financial literacy courses, I was able to assist her in managing our new financial reality. We pulled together, functioning as a very different family unit. My role evolved from that of a child to a team member, taking on responsibilities like maintaining our home's exterior and assisting with financial decisions. This shift required me to mature rapidly, but my mother's unwavering support made all the difference. Throughout my life, both of my parents greatly influenced my educational journey. They encouraged me to think outside the box and pursue my passions. I explored different career paths, ultimately falling in love with air traffic control. My plan was to attend Hesston College to study Air Traffic Control until I received a phone call stating that Hesston was discontinuing the program. Faced with this setback, my mother encouraged me not to get frustrated but to reach out and find another program. Her support was crucial in helping me adapt to this change and continue pursuing my dream. Often, I feel my father's guiding presence, and I believe he would be proud of the opportunities I will have at Lewis University, where I will major in Air Traffic Control and minor in Airport Management. My mother's encouragement to keep moving forward, despite the obstacles, has been a constant source of strength. When my father passed away, our household income was reduced by two-thirds. Even with these financial changes, my mother motivated me to continue with my plans and apply for scholarships to help with the cost of attendance. Receiving this scholarship would allow me to pursue my dream of studying aviation. As I envisioned my senior year of high school, the events that have unfolded are far from what I had planned. However, these challenges have shaped me in ways I never anticipated. As I embark on this new journey, I will fondly remember my parents and their unwavering support. My mother, in particular, has taught me not to fear the changes that life brings. Her strength and encouragement have been a beacon of hope and resilience, guiding me through the toughest of times. In conclusion, the support of a parent, especially in times of adversity, is a powerful force. My mother's strength and encouragement have not only helped me navigate the loss of my father, but have also inspired me to pursue my dreams with determination and resilience. As I move forward, I carry with me the lessons of perseverance and the unwavering support that have anchored me.

Cedar Rapids Tower, Cessna 965 Foxtrot November is ready at runway 21. Aviation is my passion, and I am confident that the lessons I have learned through volunteering in my community have given me the necessary skills to achieve my goal of becoming an Air Traffic Controller. I’m Noah Freeman, and I will be attending Lewis University in the fall of 2024 to study air traffic control management. I have spent over 140 hours volunteering in different ways throughout high school. I've enjoyed baking each summer for the local lunch program. Baking for others has taught me how blessed I am to have the ability and ingredients to be able to make nutritious foods. I've helped middle schoolers learn to do woodworking and welding at summer camps. These programs have reminded me of how eager and thrilled young people are about learning new things. I spent a week helping install plumbing and electricity in homes in the Dominican Republic. This taught me to appreciate the things that I used to take for granted. My very favorite activity, though, has been volunteering at our special needs fishing derbies. I really enjoy helping the adults with special needs adults celebrate their catches. Whether it's a two inch crapy or an eight inch bass, they truly celebrate the catch. All these opportunities have taught me about communication and teamwork. Life has thrown a few curveballs my way. My mother was diagnosed with cancer when I was seven years old. Seeing her go through this taught me compassion. As a boy, I broke the head of my femur. This experience taught me persistence as I had to persevere through pain in order to get back on my feet and back to TaeKwonDo. My biggest curveball was holding my father's hand as he passed away last November. Going through this loss with my mother and sister has taught me humility. I'm proud of the fact that I've been able to keep volunteering in my community through these experiences. With the passing of my father, our household income was cut by 2/3. We are now much more conservative with our money. I can lean on my volunteer experiences and understand that, even though money is tighter in my home, I am still truly blessed. With the help of this scholarship, I would not need to take out as much money in loans to pursue my dream of becoming an air traffic controller. Armed with the financial boost of this scholarship and with the knowledge I've gained through volunteering, I would be ready to launch into a high-flying career in the field of aviation.

Strength is what I see every day when I head home. I grew up in rural Iowa in a family of four. My parents were happily married, my sister was doing well in her first year of college, and I was enjoying my senior year of high school. Everything changed suddenly this past November when my father unexpectedly passed away of a fungal disease called histoplasmosis. My journey as a teen in a single parent household has just begun. At first, the community support was overwhelmingly present. As we've moved further away from his passing, my mother has had to learn to stand on her own. Having just finished personal Investments and financial literacy courses, the knowledge I learned has been extremely beneficial. We have pulled together to face our new reality. We are functioning as a very different family unit. I have gone from the role of a child to that of a team member. I help with the maintenance of the exterior of our home, and my mother bounces financial questions and ideas off of me. I have more responsibilities at home than I have ever had before. Both of my parents greatly influenced my educational journey throughout my life. They have encouraged me to think outside the box and to pursue my passions. I shadowed different careers, but the one I loved the most was air traffic control. I was going to attend Hesston College and study Air Traffic Control. This was my plan until I received a phone call stating that Heston was doing away with this program. My mom encouraged me not to get frustrated by these changes. She encouraged me to reach out and find a program in a different location. Often I think that my father is in heaven guiding us. The opportunities that I will have at the university I will attend, Lewis University, are far greater than the opportunities I would have had at Heston. I will attend Louis this fall majoring in Air Traffic Control and minoring in Airport Management. I'm grateful that my mother has encouraged me to keep moving forward no matter which obstacles may be in my way. When my father passed away, our household income was reduced by two thirds. Even with these financial changes, my mother has encouraged me to keep going with my plans. She has encouraged me to apply for scholarships to help with the cost of attendance. Receiving this Memorial Scholarship would allow me to keep pursuing my dream of studying aviation. It would help me graduate with less debt. As I envisioned my senior year of high school, the events that have unfolded are not what I imagined. If ups and downs are what shapes us, I have metamorphosed into a completely different shape. As I embark on this journey, I will fondly remember my parents and their unwavering relationship. But I will always remember my mom for her strength in teaching us not to fear the changes that life brings.

When does a leader become a true leader? Some say that people are either born leaders, or followers. I disagree with this thought. In my humble opinion, one becomes a leader by choice when confronting difficult situations. Our actions and reactions during times of adversity are what defines us as a leader or a follower. My opportunity to shine as a leader came last November when my father passed away. My father was my biggest supporter in exploring a career in aviation. His father, my grandfather, had retired from the Air Force when my father was 10 years old. My father and his father built and flew RC aircraft together. My father and I flew drones, launched rockets, and built model airplanes together. When I was in the 5th grade, my father encouraged me to apply for a scholarship to Space Camp. That was the best summer camp ever! As I grew older, my father helped me explore careers in aviation. It was my mother, though, who arranged the job shadow day in the air traffic tower at the Eastern Iowa Airport that would lead to my decision to become an air traffic controller. Last November, the air was crisp, the leaves were nearly gone, and my senior wrestling season was about to begin when my father was rushed from our rural hospital to the University of Iowa Hospital. He was struggling to breathe. The amazing teams of doctors and nurses worked to try and clear his fungal pneumonia without success. His organs were shutting down. For two weeks I took care of our home and animals, never missed a day of school, worked a part-time job, and went back and forth to the hospital. As time moved on the gravity of the situation became obvious. My mother, sister, and I were holding his hands as the life support was disconnected. It was time for me to make him proud. After his funeral, I knew that my family, team, and community were waiting to see what my next move would be. I found strength in encouraging my teammates to push and do their best. I attended every wrestling meet and practice. I helped tutor teammates who struggled academically. I continued volunteering in my community. I graduated, just yesterday, with highest honors, a presidential pin, and silver cord for volunteering over 140 hours. Most importantly, though, I have led my family by helping make difficult financial decisions. One of the stressors with my father’s passing was figuring out the household finances. I had just finished two important courses at school; personal finance and personal investments. I found them interesting and logical. I shared what I knew with my family. I helped my mother sort through finances, get control of things, and establish a budget in order to make long-term decisions. I’m proud to be able to lend a hand. When faced with difficult situations, it would be very easy to simply withdraw from the world. I can’t imagine choosing to do this. To me, adversity is simply an opportunity in disguise. I believe leaders are made by choosing to step up and help others during difficult times. This is exactly what I've chosen to do. I know that my father would be proud of me for my actions over the past few months. Even more so, I know that both my father and grandfather will be watching over me as I begin my studies and career in aviation.

Cedar Rapids Tower, Cessna 965 Foxtrot November is ready at runway 21. This is an unusual language, but wrestling has set me up for success. I’m Noah Freeman, and I will attend Lewis University in the fall of 2024 to study aviation. Experiencing the satisfaction that comes from both individual commitment and team commitment has greatly influenced my decision to become an air traffic controller. Wrestling has taught me to work both individually and as a team in order to achieve the desired results. I have seen the difference it makes when my teammates and I push ourselves to gain strength and flexibility. My wrestling family has pulled together to support me as I grieved the loss of my father. He passed away during the first week of my senior season. As a result of my father’s passing, I missed the first two weeks of the season. Once the funeral was over, it was time to return to a new normal. The camaraderie of my wrestling was exactly what I needed. My coaches encouraged me to use my workouts and matches as an outlet for my emotions. This allowed me to better focus on academics during the school day and deal with my grief. In wrestling you come face to face with your opponent. When alone on the mat with all lights pointing toward only the two of you, there is no hiding. This form of competition has taught me to focus and stay calm under pressure. Remaining calm under pressure will be vital in order to guide aircrafts full of people safely. I realize that the career I’m choosing comes with a high level of stress. Maintaining academic success while living with the stress of having one parent as a cancer survivor and losing the other parent in your senior year is stressful as well. The techniques I’m learning to calmly look at different situations and strategically decide the next move will allow me to make good decisions. I have enjoyed wrestling since middle school. Both my nuclear family and my wrestling family have been there to support me through the wins, losses, progress, and pain. Enduring the pain of a broken femoral head has taught me that challenges make us stronger in the long run. I have chosen to persevere in spite of some serious injuries. It saddened me to hear only my mother cheering for me this season, but I’ve been blessed to have her there. As an Air Traffic Controller, I will advise pilots to either change course, or to stay the course. I hope to guide them in the same calm manner that I have been guided. As an Iron Man in wrestling, I’ve learned self discipline, teamwork, grit, and study skills. With these skills, I’m ready to launch into a high-flying career in the field of aviation. As I encounter new situations and challenges, I’m sure to always look back upon my years as an athlete to help me decide on my next move. Sadly, my final season has ended. As a 132 lb varsity wrestler whose focus has waxed and waned due to life’s circumstances this year, it didn’t go exactly as I had hoped. That is alright, though! Through wrestling I have found guidance and family. I will return to the sport I love as an assistant coach so that I, too, may help others fall in love with this sport that has taught me to persevere through the good times and bad.

Cedar Rapids Tower, Cessna 965 Foxtrot November is ready at runway 21. Aviation is my passion. Wrestling has helped me develop the necessary self discipline and focus to achieve my goal of becoming an Air Traffic Controller. I’m Noah Freeman, and I will be attending Lewis University in the fall of 2024 to study air traffic control and aviation. Experiencing the satisfaction that comes from both individual and team commitment greatly influenced my decision to become an air traffic controller. Wrestling has taught me to work both individually and as a team in order to achieve the desired results. As a young boy I was diagnosed with Legg Calve Perthes Disease. There was a period in my life in which I couldn't walk. But I was determined to be active. It took months of physical therapy for me to get back on my feet. From there, I challenged myself to gain strength and flexibility. I went on to get a black belt in Taekwondo and from there I moved my focus to wrestling. Life has thrown a few curveballs my way. My mother was diagnosed with cancer when I was seven years old, but this taught me compassion. My father passed away this past November, yet I have still maintained a 3.5 GPA and continued volunteering in my community. My wrestling team has been my family outside of my home. They helped me remain focused in spite of everything going on in my life. They always remind me to be strong in the face of adversity. Our coach always encouraged us to be well-rounded individuals. He encouraged a good academic record and courteous behavior. Throughout high school, I have worked hard to challenge myself academically. I’ve taken challenging courses. Even more importantly, in my opinion, has been my involvement in our tiny community. I have volunteered over 140 hours in different parts of our community. I’ve helped with reforestation, baked for the free lunch program each summer, cleaned up after natural disasters, and supervised kids during early out activities at the local YMCA. My two favorite volunteer activities, though, have been installing running water on a mission trip, and helping with the annual Special Needs Fishing Derby. In the future, I hope to help coach children’s wrestling. My life experiences and my time wrestling has taught me that focus and a calm spirit, even under pressure, are key to good decision making. The techniques I’m learning will allow me to make correct decisions in the control tower. As a black belt in Taekwondo, an Iron Man in wrestling, and a dedicated citizen of my community, I’m ready for the future. No matter what life throws at me, I won't ever give up. I’m ready to launch into a high-flying career in the field of aviation. As I encounter new situations and challenges, I’m sure to always look back upon my experiences to help me decide on my next move.

Change. I have faith that, one day, I will look back and see the good in the changes that have hit our family in the past 4 months. Life was good in our rural home. My mother had been given news of a clear CT scan after her battle with cancer. My sister was doing well in her first year of college, both my parents were happily working, I was thriving in school, and the anticipation of my senior wrestling season was building. Until that day in September… On an evening in mid September, my dad started having shortness of breath, sweating, vomiting, and a fever. Concerned, my mother took him to the emergency room. He spent several days in the hospital as the doctors tried to figure things out. He was discharged several days later with much confusion about what went wrong. Some doctors thought he had a heart attack, while others thought it was an atrial flutter. What they had found by chance was a mass in his lung. My father was referred to oncology and told to monitor his blood pressure. He got to wear a halter monitor for a month. Oncology did a biopsy to see if the mass was cancerous since we live in an area that has high levels of radon, so he went to surgery for a biopsy. Unable to reach the mass in his lung, the doctor chose to sample a lymph node at the base of the trachea. We were thrilled with the results; it was benign. We thought things would be fine since the mass was believed to be benign. LIttle did we know that the biopsy would lead to his death. The biopsy released a fungus, histoplasmosis, into his lung. Within a week he had pneumonia. He was rushed from our rural hospital to the larger hospital an hour away. He was intubated and on a ventilator as doctors threw all they had at it; 4 antibiotics and an antifungal medication. As the days went on, his body systems began shutting down. On November 13th, the first week of my senior year of wrestling, our family decided to extubate him and let him go. We were by his bedside; me, my mother, my sister, and our priest. We held his hand as he took his last breath. Change is good, right? I’m sure that someday I will see the positive in this change. With all that happened, I missed the first two weeks of my senior wrestling season. Once the funeral was over, it was time to establish a new normal. The comradery of my wrestling family was exactly what I needed. My coaches encouraged me to use my workouts to channel my emotions. This allowed me to focus on academics during the school day. Sadly, the season has come to a close. The season didn’t go exactly as I had hoped. But through wrestling I found family and guidance. At Lewis University, I will form a new family in the aviation department. I will study Air Traffic Control. I hope to one day return to the sport I love so much as a coach so that I might help future youth find the support and family they may need as they face challenges in their lives.

Change. They say that change is good. I have faith that, one day, I will look back and see the good in the changes that have hit our family in the past 3 months. Life was good in our rural home. In spite of my mother’s bout with peritoneal mesothelioma (cancer) several years ago, she had been given news of another clear CT scan for the 11th year in a row. My sister was doing well in her first year of college, both my parents were happily working, I was thriving in school, and the anticipation of my senior year was building. Until that day in September… On an evening in mid September, my dad started having shortness of breath, sweating, vomiting, and a fever. Concerned, my mother took him to the emergency room. He spent several days in the hospital as the doctors tried to figure things out. He was discharged several days later with much confusion of whether or not he had a heart problem. A few doctors thought he had suffered a heart attack, while a few thought it was an atrial flutter. What they had found by chance, though, was a mass in his lung. My father was referred to oncology and told to monitor his blood pressure. He got to wear a halter monitor for a month. Oncology wanted to do a biopsy to see if the mass was cancerous since we live in an area that has high levels of radon, so a few weeks later he went to surgery for a biopsy. Unable to reach the mass in his lung, the doctor chose to sample a lymph node at the base of the trachea. We were thrilled with the results; it was benign. We all thought things would be fine since the mass was believed to be benign. LIttle did we know that the biopsy would lead to his death. The biopsy released a fungus, histoplasmosis, into his lung. Within a week he was very ill with pneumonia. He was rushed from our rural hospital to the larger hospital an hour away. He was intubated and on a ventilator as doctors threw all they had at it; 4 broad-spectrum antibiotics and an antifungal medication. As the days went on, his body systems began shutting down. On November 13th, the first week of my senior year of wrestling, our family made the decision to extubate him and let him go. We were by his bedside; me, my mother, my sister, and our priest. We held his hand as he took his last breath. Change is good, right? I’m sure that someday I will see the positive in this change. As a result of my father’s passing, I missed the first two weeks of my senior wrestling season. Once the funeral was over, it was time to return to our new normal. The comradery of my wrestling family was exactly what I needed. My coaches encouraged me to use my workouts and matches as an outlet for my emotions. This allowed me to better focus on preparing for my future during school day. Sadly, yesterday was my final meet for the season. As a 132 lb varsity wrestler whose mental focus has waxed and waned, it didn’t go exactly as I had hoped, but I stuck with it anyway. Through wrestling I have found family and guidance. Now it's time for me to focus my attention and energy towards college and preparation for my future career in air traffic control. Cedar Rapids Tower, Cessna 965 Foxtrot November is ready at runway 21. My father and I used to practice the aviation lingo together because he, too, had a passion for aviation. Through all the curveballs that life has thrown at me, I have developed the mental fortitude to achieve my goal of becoming an Air Traffic Controller. I will be attending Lewis University in the fall of 2024 to study air traffic control and aviation. I promised both my father and myself that I would do everything it takes to achieve this dream. I know that my father will always be with me as I work toward pursuing the passion that we both shared.