Jackson Pizzano - UMass, Stockbridge

This semester at UMass was very bitter sweet. I knew graduation was coming the whole time and was excited for it but I wasn't totally ready for my college career to end. As the semester wound down I slowly became more okay with the idea of being a graduate, and now I am very happy and proud of myself for completing school and getting my diploma. During my last semester I tried to use all the things offered to students while I still could. I went to a lot of hockey and basketball games, played disc golf on the campus disc golf course, and went to a couple student run comedy shows. Though it's over now I'm happy I used all the things UMass offers while I still could. Now I can now focus on using my diploma to get a job and explore the world more than I have ever been able to prior to graduation. This winter I hope to work on the island and set myself up so I can do some traveling and exploration once the summer ends. Though my college days are over I hope to keep learning about trees and arboriculture and become a certified arborist. This would be extremely helpful when looking for a job or trying to go out on my own as it shows I have applicable knowledge to help a customer deal with their trees. This certification also helps you learn how to work safer and smarter which is important when using very dangerous tools on a daily basis. I also plan to make a lot of ski trips this winter as it's a good way to get off the island for a few days and I really enjoy skiing. I really would like to ski out west this winter as their snow has been much better than New England's this year. I would like to thank MVYouth and all the donors who made my college career possible and helped me all the way through to my graduation. I am beyond grateful and hope one day I can help the community as much as they do.