My name is Noah, l’m a southpaw pitcher and my grit, optimism, determination, faith and passion have helped me create a home run of a life. The passions of my life, baseball, family, faith and history, have molded me into the person I am today. I found baseball when I was eight. Being diagnosed with autism at age three, I had trouble with friendships and fitting in. Baseball taught me how to be part of a team, make friends and work towards a goal. When I tried out for my middle school team in 6th grade I was the first kid cut. The coach didn’t even know my name, just my tryout number. I decided then that no one was going to take baseball away from me. I worked, and two years later, I made the varsity team and ended the season third on the team in batting average and RBIs.   High school baseball was a challenge. I played two years on JV, but junior year I didn’t make varsity. With my coach’s assurance that I could come back the next year, I took the season off to work. In February 2025, I weighed 250 pounds. I started running, lifting and eating right. I played summer club ball, pitching in the blazing Arizona heat, improving each game. By August 2025, I weighed 195 pounds. I’d lost 55 pounds and was ready for high school ball. However, my coach blindsided me and said I wasn’t welcome back. My dream of playing high school baseball was over, but I wasn’t ready to give up baseball. I kept playing club ball, working and improving. On a stressful December day we sent my film to 14 colleges. Within 48 hours, 7 were interested. I visited two colleges in January 2026 and received offers to play from both. On February 5th, 2026, I committed to play baseball at Knox College. I earned an academic scholarship and I get to keep playing the game I love. In college, I want to coach Little League and give kids a place to learn, play and be part of a team. Baseball should be for everyone with a passion and love for the game. No kid who loves the game should be turned away. I hope to help with prospective players camps and visits and look forward to being a welcoming and supportive presence during the stressful recruiting process. Throughout my life my faith has driven me to serve my community through volunteer work at food banks, as a prayer chaplain, campus ambassador and retreat leader. Through my service, I have learned the joys of serving and how to be a leader. I’m excited to find new ways to serve and lead at Knox both on and off the field. History has been a passion of mine since grade school, where I read all the history books in my school library three times. In college, I hope to take that passion for history to become a lawyer and run for political office. It would be an honor to interpret and uphold the law so that every citizen can live freely. I would use my office to improve the lives of my constituents, represent them faithfully and compassionately, and ease their struggles by listening, advocating and taking action for them. No matter where life takes me on or off the field, I’ll always be grateful to my family for teaching me the value of love, hard work and determination and never giving up on me or my dreams (and helping me learn to throw a nasty slider too).

Hi my name is Noah Plummer and I’m excited to tell you about myself, what has inspired me to pursue higher education and my new found love for mock trial. The value of education, specifically higher education, was something my parents taught me from a young age. They made sure to instill in me this knowledge to ensure my future success in whichever career I chose to pursue. The person who inspired me the most to pursue higher education is my father. Aside from making sure I understood the importance of a college education, my father gave me several reasons to inspire me to a pursue higher education. The first of these reasons was the career opportunities and fields that opened up to him with the degrees he earned. He earned his first degree in Molecular Biology with a minor in bacteriology, then went into the Immunology field working in cancer research. Shortly before I was born he obtained his second degree, in nursing. With this degree he was able to work in the emergency department, interventional radiology, endoscopy, and eventually in a trauma services role. The second reason that he inspired me was the stories he told me about college. They mainly consisted of the people he met and how he grew friendships that still continue today. It really resonated with me that college is about more than just your education. It’s a place where you can build friendships and relationships that will last a lifetime while preparing you for the future. Overall, my father inspired me to pursue a higher education because of the opportunities and experiences a college education gave him.   My parents have always told me to pursue my passions, and I have always had a passion for history. Ever since sixth grade my passion for history has grown and expanded to new related fields. Recently, I’ve been extremely intrigued by law and government. My passion for those subjects quickly flourished and I began to research potential careers I could pursue after high school and college, so I could continue my passion professionally. One of the careers I have considered is becoming a lawyer. In the fall of 2025, I joined my school's mock trial team, which is in its very first year. I was excited to help build the program from the ground up while discerning if I really had the passion to become a lawyer. I took to pouring over the case with fervor and soon was gripped by the process of preparing to go to trial. Our mock trial competition was March 7th, 2026. On the day of the trial I was very nervous, uncertain of what to expect, but once the first of the four trials began, I realized that I was going to love this experience. With the first trial underway and the nerves gone I began to enjoy the experience more and more. I loved playing my witness for the prosecution, who was the police sergeant who had responded to the scene of the crime. I enjoyed cross and direct examining my witnesses and having to fight off objections off the cuff.  I won two awards for best witness and got a perfect score for my direct examination of my witness. I left the courthouse invigorated and excited for the future. I chose to join and participate in mock trial to see if I really wanted to become a lawyer, and I left certain of my future career in law. I am excited to start my journey towards law school in the fall at Knox College in Illinois.

A passion for life, determination and grit are the cornerstones of my life. Three passions in my life are baseball, my faith and history. These passions have molded me into who I am today and the life adventures I hope to embark upon.  One of the things that shaped my life was my Autism diagnosis at age 3. My parents were told that I would never be able to attend a traditional school and I would need specialized education. However, this didn't stop me. With the help of therapists and my parents I was able to be in a mainstream school and classroom. These first years of my education presented challenges. but I was able to persevere, develop friendships, learn how to navigate school complexities and challenges, including bullying, and how to be part of a school community. The challenges that I overcame formed me into the driven person I am today. They have also inspired me to be forgiving, and to ensure that the people around me are accepted and included. I accept and forgive people and I have forgiven and become friends with some of my bullies because I understand the importance of compassion and the gift of forgiveness. I found baseball when I was eight years old. Because of my autism diagnosis, I had trouble with friendships and fitting in. Baseball taught me how to be part of a team and work towards a common goal, how to make friends and work hard. When I tried out for my middle school team in 6th grade, 60 kids tried out, and I was the first kid cut. The coach didn’t even know my name, just my tryout number. I decided then that no one was going to take baseball away from me. I worked, and two years later, I made the varsity team and ended the season third on the team in batting average and RBIs.   High school baseball has been a challenge. I played two years on JV, and junior year, I didn’t make varsity. I decided I needed to work on improving myself and my game. After eight months of work, I have lost almost 60 pounds, improved my pitching, and I just committed to play college baseball at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. Someday, I hope to coach Little League and give kids a place to learn to play and be part of a team. Baseball should be for everyone who has a passion and love for the game. No one should be turned away due to a lack of talent or funds.  My faith has inspired me serve my community through my volunteer work at my local food bank and as a prayer chaplain, campus ambassador and retreat leader at my school. Through my service, I have learned the joys of serving and how to be a compassionate and humble leader. History has been a passion of mine since grade school, where I read all the history books in my school library three times. In college, I hope to take that passion for history to become a lawyer and run for political office. It would be an honor to work to interpret and uphold the law so that every citizen can live freely. I would use my office to improve the lives of my constituents and represent them faithfully and compassionately. I would try to ease their struggles by listening, advocating and taking action for them and remember what it is like to be from a middle-income family with hard-working parents who taught me the value of hard work, grit and determination.

How a passionate southpaw has used grit, determination and faith to create a home run of a life. A passion for life, determination and grit are the cornerstones of my life. Three passions in my life are baseball, my faith and history. These passions have molded me into who I am today and the life adventures I hope to embark upon.  I found baseball when I was eight years old. Being diagnosed with autism at age three, I had trouble with friendships and fitting in. Baseball taught me how to be part of a team and work towards a common goal, how to make friends and work hard. My family is a middle-income family, my dad is a nurse, and my mom works for the State of Arizona, and Little League gave me an affordable place to play the game I love. When I tried out for my middle school team in 6th grade, 60 kids tried out, and I was the first kid cut. The coach didn’t even know my name, just my tryout number. I decided then that no one was going to take baseball away from me. I worked, and two years later, I made the varsity team and ended the season third on the team in batting average and RBIs.   High school baseball has been a challenge. I played two years on JV, and junior year, I didn’t make varsity. I decided I needed to work on improving myself and my game. After eight months of work, I have lost almost 60 pounds, improved my pitching, and I currently have interest from seven college teams. I’m looking forward to trying out in the spring and making the varsity team. If I make a college team I hope to be part of camps for younger kids hosted by my school to encourage kids like me who are fighting hard to make their baseball dream become a reality. I hope I can mentor and encourage them and share my story to let them know to never stop working and believing in themselves. Someday, I hope to coach Little League and give kids a place to learn to play and be part of a team. Baseball should be for everyone who has a passion and love for the game. No one should be turned away due to a lack of talent or funds.  My faith is a passion that has driven me to serve my community through my volunteer work at food banks and as a prayer chaplain, campus ambassador and retreat leader at my school. Through my service, I have learned the joys of serving and how to be a leader. I am excited to find new ways to serve and lead in college.  History has been a passion of mine since grade school, where I read all the history books in my school library three times. In college, I hope to take that passion for history to become a lawyer and run for political office. It would be an honor to work to interpret and uphold the law so that every citizen can live freely. I would use my office to improve the lives of my constituents and represent them faithfully and compassionately. I would try to ease their struggles by listening, advocating and taking action for them and remember what it is like to be from a middle-income family with hard-working parents who taught me the value of hard work, grit and determination. The sky is the limit for this southpaw who knows what I can accomplish as long as I keep believing in myself.

My senior year of high school has been a time of self reflection as I have tried to determine the next steps of my life. During this time, I have asked myself, what life experiences have influenced me to become who I am, who am I becoming and how do I create a plan to ensure that I can become that person. What life experiences have influenced and shaped me? One of the things that shaped my life was my Autism diagnosis at age 3. My parents were told that I would never be able to attend a traditional school and I would need specialized education. However, this didn't stop me. With the help of therapists and my parents I was able to be in a mainstream school and classroom. These first years of my education presented challenges. but I was able to persevere, develop friendships, learn how to navigate school complexities and challenges, including bullying, and how to be part of a school community. These challenges that I overcame formed me into the driven person I am today. They have also inspired me to be forgiving, and to ensure that the people around me are accepted and included. I accept and forgive people and I have forgiven and become friends with some of my bullies because I understand the importance of compassion and the gift of forgiveness. Attending a Catholic high school has strengthened and sharpened my faith. I am involved in campus ministry as a retreat leader and a house prayer leader, guiding my fellow students in their faith journey, assisting with Mass and retreats.  Being a school ambassador has shaped me into a compassionate guide helping prospective students. Last month I was able to be an ambassador for a prospective student who reminded me a lot of myself and appeared to be struggling with the loud noises and unfamiliar environment. I was able to make him feel comfortable and support him and he told me the best part of the tour was having me as his ambassador. My community service at our local food bank has shaped me into understanding the needs of my local community. My service has given me compassion for those in need, thankfulness for all blessings, and provided me with a desire to help others. I have served at a food preparation location that prepares meals for people in developing countries. This service has given me a global perspective on the needs outside of my community and in the world. I am becoming healthier in body and mind. On February 15, 2025, I weighed 250 pounds. I took a look in the mirror and decided things needed to change. I began to exercise more, changed the way I ate and my relationship with food. As of December 2025, I have lost 55 pounds and I am dedicated to reach my goal weight of 185 pounds soon. My health journey has shaped me into a better baseball player which is one of the areas of my life that brings me great joy. One of the most important parts of my childhood was finding baseball. Baseball gave me a place to belong, with friends and a sense of community. On the field, my diagnosis doesn’t matter, we’re all just teammates working towards the common goal of victory. I am becoming a political science student and a law student. Throughout my entire life, I have been captivated by history and more recently, politics. My love of history started when I was in elementary school. Whenever my class went to the school library, I would always check out a book on history. In fact, I ended up checking out every single history book in the library at least three times. Throughout middle school I watched hundreds of history videos and become more interested in politics and government. In high school, I began following politics closely and looking at all levels of government. Now, as a high school senior, I want to continue my love of politics in college and eventually attend law school. What do I hope to become more of? I hope to continue developing my faith. My faith influences my actions helping me spread the word and the love of God. I hope to continue my health journey, exercising, eating healthy and becoming a better baseball player. I hope all my perseverance and hard work will allow me to play in college. I also hope to coach little league and provide a safe place for other kids, because baseball should be for everyone who has a love and passion for the game. I hope to become a lawyer and run for political office. Working in the field of law is my dream job. It would be an honor to work to interpret and uphold the laws so that every citizen can live freely and at peace. If I was to run for political office, I would use my office to improve the lives of my constituents. I would represent them faithfully and compassionately and I would try to ease their struggles by listening, advocating and taking action for them. How can I fulfill all of my intentions so I can become the person I want to be? Attending a small liberal arts Catholic or Christian College would be the best path towards becoming the person I envision for myself. A faith based college would help me deepen my faith, provide me with the chance to continue to play the game I love, have a small community that I can serve and continue my volunteer work and an education program to help me to purse my dream of becoming a lawyer. All my life experiences have shaped me into a kind, compassionate, caring person who has a deep desire to serve God and my community through volunteer work and one day through my civic leadership.

Throughout my academic career, I have been faced with many challenges and obstacles, all of which I have not only overcome, but also excelled far past what was expected of me. Having to face these obstacles has played a huge role in preparing me for my journey towards a college degree. The first of these many challenges was my diagnosis of autism at the age of 3. My parents were told that I would never be able to attend a traditional “normal” school because of my diagnosis, and I would need specialized education for the rest of my formative years. However, this didn't stop me, as I began ABA therapy and with the help of my therapists and parents I was able to be in a mainstream school and classroom. These first years of my elementary education presented challenges, but I was able to navigate the difficulties with the help of my teachers, parents and therapists and develop friendships and learn to navigate the complexities and challenges that school presents. For me those challenges included bullying, learning to self advocate, learning how to create and develop friendships and how to be part of a school community. All these challenges I faced and overcome have helped to form me into the driven person I am today. During Junior High another obstacle arose, one that still lingers with me to this day. This event was the pandemic which I feel had a dual impact on me as a developing pre-teen. It impacted my academic journey, as ever since the pandemic I have struggled with math because of the lack of face-to-face teaching. Secondly, it impacted me socially as I wasn't really able to interact with anyone my age for almost a year, which stunted me. However, I feel I was able to overcome these struggles in high school. I put extra studying in with math, going in early in the mornings to work with my teachers, getting a tutor to work with me in the evenings and working countless hours with my dad. With all this hard work, I was able to get a math award my Freshman Year for best student in Foundations of Math. I have continued to improve in math and I currently have a 98 in Finite Math. Socially, I have become involved in my school community and school leadership, being a school house leader, ambassador for the admissions office, being on Mock Trial, joining Toastmasters and by playing on the football and baseball teams. I feel I have overcome the academic and social challenges that I was faced with during the pandemic. In school, I plan to study in one of two fields: Political Science or Pre-Law. Political science is very imporatnt to me becasue of my deep interest with politics and the political ecosystem of our nation. This has always fascinated me since I was in middle school, and if I choose to study political science, I will continue this passion for our poltical system into my post-secondary education. The second reason these fields are important to me is the potential of finding a career in government. Whether this is later down the line as a state representative or another government related occupation, this degree would help to understand the inner workings of the United States government and better prepare me for a future job or career. A Pre-Law degree is also important to me for a few reasons. First, this study would prepare me for a career as a lawyer, as it would pave my path to law school and eventually a job at a firm. The second reason is my deep interest in the law of our country, which developed around the time I began to be interested in politics. I also have a desire to uphold our constitution and laws so that every citizen can live freely and at peace in a just and equititable manner. In both areas of study I hope to positively impact my field and my community by leading by example. If I choose a career in law I hope to positively impact my community first by offering my services pro bono to those most in need. This would help those who could not otherwise afford a lawyer, or those who do not have the option to use a public defender. I also hope that this practice would commonly spread throughout the field and ensure that everyone has access to fair legal representation. If I were going to choose a career in the political science field, I would use my office to drastically improve the lives of my constituents in whatever way I could. I would represent them faithfully, because they chose me to represent their needs and beliefs. The challenges and obstacles of my life will lead me to pursue a career in which I can ease the struggles of others by listening to their needs, taking action, and representing their wishes. The struggles I have faced will help me to be a compassionate leader who listens and understands and takes action to ensure a bright and hopeful future for all people regardless of culture, background, economic or social status.

Throughout my academic career I have consistently overcome challenges and exceeded the expectations placed on me. The adversity I faced has played a huge role in preparing me for my journey towards a college education. The first of these challenges was my Autism diagnosis at age 3. My parents were told that I would never be able to attend a traditional school and I would need specialized education. However, this didn't stop me. With the help of therapists and my parents I was able to be in a mainstream school and classroom. These first years of my education presented challenges, but I was able to develop friendships and learned to navigate school complexities and challenges, including bullying, and how to be part of a school community. These challenges that I overcame formed me into the driven person I am today.  During junior high, I faced another obstacle: the pandemic. This had a dual impact on me as a developing pre-teen. It impacted me academically, as since the pandemic I have struggled with math because of the lack of face-to-face teaching. Secondly, it stunted me socially as I wasn't really able to interact with anyone my age for almost a year. Academically I was able to overcome these struggles in high school with extra studying in math, early morning tutoring with teachers, tutoring in the evenings and countless hours of work with my dad. With all this hard work I earned a school math award my freshman year. I have continued to improve in math and I currently have a 98% in Finite Math. Socially, I have become involved in my school community as a school house leader, ambassador for the admissions office, Mock Trial member and played on the football and baseball teams. I feel I have overcome the academic and social challenges that I faced during the pandemic.  In college, I plan to study either Political Science or Pre-Law. Political Science is intriguing to me because of my deep interest in politics and the political ecosystem of our nation. Politics have fascinated me since I was in middle school, and if I choose to study political science, I will continue this passion for our political system. The reason these fields are important to me is the potential of finding a career in government. Whether this is as a state representative or another government related occupation, this degree would help me to understand the inner workings of the government and better prepare me for a future career. A Pre-Law degree is also important to me as it could prepare me for law school and a legal and political career. My deep interest in the law of our country is a driving force behind my career goals. I have a desire to uphold our constitution and laws so that every citizen can live freely and at peace in a just and equitable manner.  In both areas of study I hope to positively impact my field and my community by leading by example. A career in law would give me the opportunity to offer my services pro bono to those in need and help those who could not afford an attorney.  If I were to choose a career in politics, I would use my office to drastically improve the lives of my constituents. I would represent them faithfully, because they elected me to represent their needs and interests. The challenges and obstacles of my life will lead me to pursue a career in which I can ease the struggles of others by listening to their needs, taking action, and representing their wishes.

When a person is diagnosed with autism, they are given a list of milestones they may never achieve or will be difficult for them. Since I was diagnosed at age three, I thankfully don’t remember those conversations. However, my parents told me what they experienced. They were told that I may never be part of a mainstream classroom, that it might be difficult to develop and maintain relationships, my self-harm and tantrums due to verbal deficiencies may never be resolved, that I might not be able to make eye contact or express when I was being bullied at school or self-advocate when I needed help. I might not be able to experience loud noises without headphones to help with the overstimulation and I may never be able to write legibly. Those conversations and my diagnosis began my family's journey towards ensuring that though I was diagnosed with autism the diagnosis did not and would not define me, I define myself and I decide what and who I will become. I began therapy after my diagnosis which helped me learn how to better cope with a world that is not ready or willing to accept people who think or act differently. My parents’ goal was never to change me with therapy, but to give me tools to cope with a world that is less than accepting of individuals who are not what they define as "typical". Autism is not an illness that I need a cure for; my brain operates a little differently and maybe someday that will be seen as a superpower instead of a limitation. With the help of my therapists and my family I was able to start school and be part of a mainstream classroom. I will not say that my early school experience was without struggles as I learned to deal with the social, mental and physical challenges that school presented, but with help I was able to be successful academically and fostered friendships. I also found my love of history, specifically the United States constitution and military history. One of the most important parts of my childhood was finding baseball. Baseball gave me a place to belong, with friends and a sense of community. On the field, my diagnosis doesn’t matter, we’re all just teammates working towards the common goal of victory. It is my safe and happy place, and I hope to play in college at a small D3 school. I hope one day to coach baseball and provide a safe place for other kids, because baseball should be for everyone who has a love and passion for the game. As I began high school, I was faced once again with bullying, but I was able to advocate for myself and work with my parents and counselor to ask for help. I continued to study history and developed a love of law and the constitution that I hope will translate into a future career as a constitutional lawyer. I hope to be able to help protect the constitutional rights of people and someday help create laws that will help people like me, that are not broken or in need of a "cure". We just think a bit differently, but maybe that is what the world needs to see: that different can be amazing and worth celebrating. This scholarship will help me to take that next step towards attending college and reminding myself that all goals can be achieved. Even if how we achieve them looks different and takes a bit more time to reach, it is still a victory to be celebrated.

When a person is diagnosed with autism, they are given a list of milestones they may never achieve or will be difficult for them. Since I was diagnosed at age three, I thankfully don’t remember those conversations. However, my parents told me what they experienced. They were told that I may never be part of a mainstream classroom, that it might be difficult to develop and maintain relationships, my self-harm and tantrums due to verbal deficiencies may never be resolved, that I might not be able to make eye contact or express when I was being bullied at school or self-advocate when I needed help. I might not be able to experience loud noises without headphones to help with the overstimulation and I may never be able to write legibly. Those conversations and my diagnosis began my family's journey towards ensuring that though I was diagnosed with autism the diagnosis did not and would not define me, I define myself and I decide what and who I will become. I began therapy after my diagnosis which helped me learn how to better cope with a world that is not ready or willing to accept people who think or act differently. My parents’ goal was never to change me with therapy, but to give me tools to cope with a world that is less than accepting of individuals who are not what they define as "typical". Autism is not an illness that I need a cure for; my brain operates a little differently and maybe someday that will be seen as a superpower instead of a limitation. With the help of my therapists and my family I was able to start school and be part of a mainstream classroom. I will not say that my early school experience was without struggles as I learned to deal with the social, mental and physical challenges that school presented, but with help I was able to be successful academically and fostered friendships. I also found my love of history, specifically the United States constitution and military history. One of the most important parts of my childhood was finding baseball. Baseball gave me a place to belong, with friends and a sense of community. On the field, my diagnosis doesn’t matter, we’re all just teammates working towards the common goal of victory. It is my safe and happy place, and I hope to play in college at a small D3 school. I hope one day to coach baseball and provide a safe place for other kids, because baseball should be for everyone who has a love and passion for the game. As I began high school, I was faced once again with bullying, but I was able to advocate for myself and work with my parents and counselor to ask for help. I continued to study history and developed a love of law and the constitution that I hope will translate into a future career as a constitutional lawyer. I hope to be able to help protect the constitutional rights of people and someday help create laws that will help people like me, that are not broken or in need of a "cure". We just think a bit differently, but maybe that is what the world needs to see: that different can be amazing and worth celebrating. This scholarship will help me to take that next step towards attending college and reminding myself that all goals can be achieved. Even if how we achieve them looks different and takes a bit more time to reach, it is still a victory to be celebrated.

I am very interested in legislative and policy work as a career, as I enjoy learning about the government, the way it operates, and the policies and laws that are enacted. I continuously follow political news regarding all three branches of our government. From which laws are being proposed in the House of Representatives, to votes being held in the Senate, to the foreign policy decisions of the current president. I find these topics deeply interesting as they are the lifeblood and future of our nation, as there are extremely critical decisions made on Capitol Hill daily. Now, as for which level of government I wish to serve in, it would be both the state and federal levels. I would first wish to serve at the state level of government, taking the role of a representative in the state legislature or as a state senator. I feel like I would enjoy serving in this level of government, as I could bring forth problems and proposals to the state senate regarding things happening among my constituents in my district. I would serve the people first and only, as I am not there to rule them but to represent them and what matters most to them. Secondly, I would also wish to serve at the federal level as a representative. Again, I would make sure my constituents from my state were heard and their problems were addressed to the absolute best of my ability, because I am merely a vessel for their concerns about their home and our country. One current government policy issue I care deeply about is ending the war in Ukraine. This war has caused over a million combined casualties and has wrought devastation upon Ukraine and bordering Russia. It has also displaced millions of civilians and caused billions of dollars in economic damage. This is a war that should be stopped as soon as possible because the scale of death happening in this war is atrocious. I also feel it is my obligation as a Catholic to oppose all senseless war in the world, regardless of who is fighting, as war is another evil we can eradicate from this earth, like we have done to many such other evils. Civil discourse is an extremely important part of our political process as it shapes the policies of lawmakers in Washington. The role that civil discourse takes is an extremely important one, as when people stop talking to each other about their political disagreements, we get violence between political groups. A prime example being the Civil War, where Democrats and Republicans stopped debating about issues like slavery and instead sectioned themselves off from each other. This is how we got events like Bleeding Kansas or the actions of John Brown. This shows that civil discourse is extremely important as its role in our nation is shaping the policies of lawmakers at the highest and lowest levels of government.