In May 2022 my family experienced a tragedy that I sincerely wish no family would ever have to face. My only and elder sister, Sophia, took her own life. This was particularly devastating for us because, for 15 years, my mother, father, Sophia, and I formed the bonds of a strong foursome living cross-country from our extended family. We lived a wonderful life in Maine and Sophia was such a gifted artist and exceptional person, her loss was unimaginable. Sophia was my best friend. I loved her deeply and she made me feel very special. I wore the title of Sophia's Little Brother like a badge of honor. She was always there to support me, give advice, and included me as part of her friend group. Losing her felt like my entire identity and every relationship I had was turned upside down. Weeks after her passing, I decided to rejoin the baseball team. Some of the most torturous minutes of my life were spent summoning the courage to drive to that field and show my face in the dugout. When I arrived, I saw faces that were friendly and familiar, but that were also sharing the pain of our loss. Stepping back on the field and trying harder than ever before demonstrated to my teammates and my coach that I had courage and resilience. In the dugout, I would cheer as loud as possible and high-five everyone for their efforts. There were times I could laugh and smile, approaching every little detail with the most positive attitude I could muster. The guys were inspired by my energy to fight harder during every practice and game and my decision to actively enjoy the parts we all had previously dreaded. Every player became more grateful for the little things baseball brought to them and used my attitude as an example of hope. My teammates were just some of the ones I influenced. My coach observed my attitude and love for the good and bad of the sport. He told me that he was beyond proud of me and that I displayed outstanding character. Then he blew me away by telling me I was one of the strongest human beings he had ever known. It felt good to lead and inspire at a time when I also battled feelings of extreme weakness and sorrow. Drawing upon my positive baseball experience, the strength of my parents and close friends, and a professional therapist, I made a solid decision to live for both of us. While I will forever grieve her loss, I am committed to making the most of every day, every opportunity, and every relationship. I use the memory of her kind spirit and humor to guide me through difficult situations and I find it comforting to make my accomplishments, our accomplishments. I was proud to graduate with a 4.0 GPA and as I pursue higher education and strive to become the best person I can be, I do so in her honor.

In May 2022 my family experienced a tragedy that I sincerely wish no family would ever have to face. My only and elder sister, Sophia, took her own life. This was particularly devastating for us because, for 15 years, my mother, father, Sophia, and I formed the bonds of a strong foursome living cross-country from our extended family. We lived a wonderful life in Maine and Sophia was such a gifted artist and exceptional person, her loss was unimaginable. Sophia was my best friend. I loved her deeply and she made me feel very special. I wore the title of Sophia's Little Brother like a badge of honor. She was always there to support me, give advice, and included me as part of her friend group. Losing her felt like my entire identity and every relationship I had was turned upside down. Weeks after her passing, I decided to rejoin the baseball team. Some of the most torturous minutes of my life were spent summoning the courage to drive to that field and show my face in the dugout. When I arrived, I saw faces that were friendly and familiar, but that were also sharing the pain of our loss. Stepping back on the field and trying harder than ever before demonstrated to my teammates and my coach that I had courage and resilience. In the dugout, I would cheer as loud as possible and high-five everyone for their efforts. There were times I could laugh and smile, approaching every little detail with the most positive attitude I could muster. The guys were inspired by my energy to fight harder during every practice and game and my decision to actively enjoy the parts we all had previously dreaded. Every player became more grateful for the little things baseball brought to them and used my attitude as an example of hope. My teammates were just some of the ones I influenced. My coach observed my attitude and love for the good and bad of the sport. He told me that he was beyond proud of me and that I displayed outstanding character. Then he blew me away by telling me I was one of the strongest human beings he had ever known. It felt good to lead and inspire at a time when I also battled feelings of extreme weakness and sorrow. Looking back, my advice to others would be to stay engaged. Drawing upon my positive baseball experience, the strength of my parents and close friends, and a professional therapist, I made a solid decision to live for both of us. While I will forever grieve her loss, I am committed to making the most of every day, every opportunity, and every relationship. I use the memory of her kind spirit and humor to guide me through difficult situations and I find it comforting to make my accomplishments, our accomplishments. I was proud to graduate with a 4.0 GPA and as I pursue higher education and strive to become the best person I can be, I do so in her honor.

In May 2022 my family experienced a tragedy that I sincerely wish no family would ever have to face. My only and elder sister, Sophia, took her own life. We lived a wonderful life in Maine and Sophia was such a gifted artist and exceptional person, her loss was unimaginable. Sophia was my best friend. I loved her deeply and she made me feel very special. I wore the title of Sophia's Little Brother like a badge of honor. She was always there to support me, give advice and included me as part of her friend group. Losing her felt like my entire identity and every relationship I had was turned upside down. Drawing upon the strength of my parents and close friends, I chose to dedicate time to helping others the way that she did. Her passion was volunteering as a counselor for low-income student lunch and supervision summer camps and she was always the "family captain" of her teams, making sure that everyone felt welcome, included, and had what they needed to succeed. I found my passion within the Operation Smile Organization. We should never underestimate the power of a smile and its ability to impact every person we encounter. Everyone deserves the valuable gift of a smile, but sadly 1 out of every 500/750 babies is born without this ability. My friend and I created a club at Yarmouth High School that brings awareness to this issue and raises funds for the organization. The club helps open the eyes of Yarmouth students and promotes change within the world one step at a time. I was happy to be a representative and loved to put up posters and encourage new members to join our bi-weekly meetings. The funds we raised contributed to life-changing cleft lip/palate surgeries for children or adults in need of medical attention. As I continue to work toward my goal of helping others and grieve for Sophia, I actively live for both of us. I am committed to making the most of every day, every opportunity, and every relationship. I use the memory of her kind spirit and humor to guide me through difficult situations and it will always drive me to help those in need. Every minute I spend helping others pulls me closer to her. I look forward to exploring new service-oriented clubs and organizations at the University of Colorado and within the City of Boulder, CO.