After taking the second half of my spring 2020 semester online, I decided to take the fall 2020 semester off because of the impact of the pandemic on my performance-based classes at Wagner College. While I missed my friends and performing, I know it was the right choice for me. Instead, I stayed on Martha's Vineyard working as a nanny, which has been so rewarding, especially since I want to go into music education. Working with different age groups over the course of 2020 has taught me so much about child development and the role of music shifting in their life. While it's not the semester I thought I would have, I've been able to have independence that most don't have by age 19. I was able to stay in my own apartment, work on my craft alone, and branch out with artistic opportunities online. I've taken online dance and circus classes to keep me connected to my community, and to be ready to hit the ground running when the pandemic is over. I started my own Redbubble store to sell my art, and I've created over 600 art pieces since quarantine started. I had so much time to myself I even started to write a musical, focused on gender studies, which I'll continue to write at college with the help of some of my composer friends. As for next semester, I've already registered for 11 classes and am excited to be busy again. I'm looking forward to going back to Wagner College and getting back onto the track that MVYouth has been so generous to lay out for me.
Ryan O'Malley - Yestermorrow School of Design
This past fall has been a surprisingly busy one. On top of working full time at South Mountain Co., I helped a co-worker with side work on afternoons and Saturdays, and did caretaking for an older couple on Sunday mornings. I would say by this point that I'm fully enveloped in a very hands-on and sometimes fast paced learning environment. September and October were spent working on various different projects. We were busy wrapping up and siding on the new SMCo workshop/warehouse space. I spent most of the summer here and was able to participate really early on, from raising massive 13 foot walls, to scooting on some pipe staging a seemingly endless amount of time finishing the vertical siding and the final pieces of trim on, I had a lot of fun and felt fulfilled knowing that I am gonna use this space for years to come. Starting in late October my crew and I joined a new renovation and addition in Katama. This project was to add a few extra bedrooms and provide more living space in an existing guest house. This house was built by SMCo some 20 years prior and thus the modern energy retrofitting it receiving has proved challenging at times, but provided me great experience air sealing and flashing houses in general. One of the trickiest parts of this project was in the demolition, trying to save as much existing wood as possible. This meant that pine boarding, windows, interior trim, and beautiful roof overhangs all will hopefully be re-used in the finished house after we insulate and resheathed every outside surface. The careful extraction part I definitely have room for growth on. I may have said many choice words to innocent pieces of trim as I unjustly mangled them! I'm still working on this house now in January. We have finally migrated off the roof and are nearing completely sealing off the outside. I'm excited to eventually change gears and do finish and interior work, for it offers a different pace and approach than the insulation process. I would like to thank MVYouth for their contributions to my education and career. I hope to continue learning and growing and potentially apply to a timber framing course sometime in the not too distant future.
Anne Ollen - Barnard College
In an unprecedented and challenging year, I feel extremely grateful to be continuing my work at Blue State, a digital strategy and marketing company based out of Washington D.C. My team and I collaborate with progressive non-profits to execute successful fundraising and advocacy campaigns. This work was crucial in 2020 when our clients needed to raise money to help ensure that everyone has access to essential services, such as health care and safe housing, and that people were able to make their voices heard by casting their ballots in November. During a time of great hardship, I am once again thankful to be able to partner with such great organizations that are working tirelessly for families and communities across this country that are in need of support. I am also proud to have collaborated with my colleagues at Blue State to form a union this fall. After months of planning, we were formally recognized by company leadership in October, and are now in the process of negotiating our contract. Through this collective bargaining, we are hoping to create a more inclusive, sustainable, and equitable work environment. Outside of work, I left Washington in the spring to move back to the Vineyard to be with my family during the pandemic. Throughout this unexpected time at home, I have explored new walking trails, tried countless vegan recipes, and read more books than ever before. In November, we also adopted a sweet puppy named Bowie who has added so much joy and love to our family. Though 2020 was not the year that I, or anyone, predicted, I am endlessly thankful to have spent this time at home and am hopeful for the year to come.
Isabella Morais - Wesleyan University/Brooklyn College
This past semester I transferred to Brooklyn College from Wesleyan University after taking a year and a half off for my mental health. I enjoyed my semester greatly and all of my professors were incredibly helpful in getting me back into the swing of things. My favorite class was my communications theory class and my art history course. Most of my classes were asynchronous which was refreshing and a good way to reintroduce me back into school because it took away the pressure and anxiety of sitting in a room and performing. Since moving to New York, I have had the opportunity to work as the Editorial Assistant for The Root, an online Black news and media site. It has been fantastic and I have worked with people such as Stacey Abrams, Cory Booker, Ayanna Pressley, Taraji P. Henson, Ava DuVernay and Tarana Burke of the "me too" movement. The Root has shown me so many incredible opportunities. I am majoring in Journalism and Media studies which has helped me secure an amazing summer opportunity through the company. I’ve also been working as a social media manager for a vegan web series which has taught me a lot about and health and wellness; a great tool in an insane time like this. In addition to my full course load, my job at The Root and my social media job, I also tutor two young children in order to cover the difference between my MVYouth award and my tuition since I am not yet a New York state resident. I have loved living in New York and being a Brooklyn College student.
Madeleine Moore - University of Chicago
Throughout this year, I have been working on the campaign trail. After working for Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic primary, I began working in Kentucky to elect Amy McGrath. I spent five months organizing events and training organizers to get the vote out and persuade voters. The pandemic has caused a lot of shift in what electoral organizing looks like and it was very exciting to get creative about how to best reach out to voters while not being able to do a lot of door knocking or in person events. My team helped increase voter registration and turnout significantly, setting a good foundation for future Kentucky candidates to challenge their legislators more successfully. While we were not successful in removing Mitch McConnell from office, I have been able to help elect Reverend Warnock and Jon Ossoff to the U.S. Senate. Since graduating, I have been working in politics and have been involved with this election cycle since June. It has been thrilling to dive more deeply into our electoral system and inspiring to work for an array of candidates. While the election cycle has ended for a bit, I am looking forward to discovering another side of politics in D.C., off the campaign trail. While looking for work, I have been able to return to the Vineyard and spend some time with family. It has been so refreshing and nice in the middle of all this chaos. Thanks to MVYouth, I have been able to make all my career decisions free of the burden of student loan debt. I recognize how fortunate that is and am grateful that MVYouth has given me the opportunity not only to attend the university of my dreams but also begin my career uninhibited by financial debt. I hope, one day, I will have the same impact on Vineyard students’ futures.
Evelyn Medeiros - MA College of Pharmacy and Health Services
Last January, I was loving my first semester of nursing courses, until the pandemic struck, cancelling all in-person learning, including lab and clinicals. I was disappointed, but tried to stay patient. However, as I progressed through the summer semester, my frustration grew. I had virtual simulations in place of clinicals, and I had to record myself practicing how to suction a tracheostomy on a teddy bear. While my peers, professors, and administrators, and I were slowly running low on patience, we began to realize that we had to simply make the best of what we had. Even though being in nursing school during a pandemic is extremely challenging, I realized that so many people were facing such greater challenges than my classmates and I. By taking things more seriously and putting just as much caution and empathy into taking care of that teddy bear, as I would a person, I could still prepare myself to enter into the medical field and be able to help those that were impacted in much worse ways than me by the virus. Finally, in November, I got a chance to test those skills I had been practicing at home. I was able to administer intramuscular injections, document, and teach patients ranging in age from 2 to 68 at a Boston Medical Center flu clinic. I am also excited to share that I have been selected by a panel of professors from my program to apply for a preceptorship next semester. This means, if I am selected by a hospital, then I would be assigned a nurse to follow and work closely with for the entirety of his/her 12 hour shift up to three times a week. This would be an incredible opportunity, as it would be the most realistic view of what my life is going to be like once I become a licensed nurse in the upcoming year.
Louise McDonald - Trinity College/NYU
This past semester at Trinity College was extremely challenging to navigate around the COVID-19 pandemic. I decided to attend Trinity College thinking that I would be able to get involved easily in a small school setting and have the opportunity to explore new ideas, much like I did in my small island hometown. Now in my sophomore year, while I have enjoyed my academic courses and professors, such as Psychology with Professor McGrath, I find myself frustrated by the limited range of courses and extracurricular activities that are offered to students. This semster I was incredibly disappointed that Trinity College was unable to grant me a seat in any psychology courses I need to complete in my academic career. The Coronavirus pandemic has allowed me to explore diverse academic opportunities. This semester I applied and have been accepted as a transfer student to New York University. As a transfer student to New York University, I am eager to explore all that a large school offers in a world-class city. I want to study new ideas in the field of psychology with other students from around the globe. Under the Department of Psychology, I will be able to enjoy a vast selection of academic courses spanning from topics on the science of behavior to the subject areas of psychopathology, and neuroscience. At the College of Arts and Sciences, I will benefit from the opportunity to develop a close personal and professional relationship with faculty working as a research mentor. Learning under the world's best professors, I will acquire a superior education through faculty-sponsored research projects that will help me develop specialized research skills. With various opportunities to study alongside professors actively engaged in psychology research, I will learn psychology theory and contemporary research in the field. From the opportunity with MVYouth, I look forward to developing my academic and research interests at NYU's College of Arts and Sciences. As an aspiring psychology major, I cannot imagine a campus that will better encourage and cultivate my future academic and professional goals. I am forever grateful for the support and generosity from MVYouth and cannot wait to explore this new and exciting chapter in my life!
Casey McAndrews - Hamilton College
At the end of my four-year journey at Hamilton, I’m very excited to have decided that I want to pursue a career in medicine and plan to attend medical school in the near future. After a Zoom graduation to wrap up an incredible four years, I spent my summer in quarantine at home taking online classes to finish pre-med requirements. In the fall, I started working as a medical scribe/assistant at an ophthalmology office in Rhode Island. Each day I work alongside many talented doctors that perform cataract and glaucoma surgeries, cornea transplants, and routine eye exams. As the doctor moves through their day, I’m responsible for inputting any important information from the examination into the patients’ electronic medical records, and for assisting during a variety of minor surgical procedures in the office. Outside of work, I have been studying for the MCAT that I will take in March and preparing my medical school applications to be sent off in June! Thank you again to MVYouth for supporting me throughout my time at Hamilton College, and for giving me the ability to continue to pursue my dreams without having to worry about being held back by student debt. I will be forever grateful for all that you have given to me and to the Vineyard community.
Shannon Levesque - Massachusetts Maritime Academy
This year has been out of the ordinary for all of us, whether you're a college student or not, I believe we have all learned something about ourselves during this time. In order to become stronger we have to admit to our weaknesses. I have learned a lot about myself this year as all classes for my major of Emergency Management were online for the majority of the semester. I can admit that I am one who needs laid out structure in order to succeed which was the main reason I chose to go to Massachusetts Maritime Academy, taking classes online lacked that structure for me entirely. Procrastination was not an option while being on campus because you not only have your leaders pushing you to be your best, but some of your closest friends as well. I have learned to push myself and become independent instead of relying on others to hold me accountable. Being able to continue getting an education through Massachusetts Maritime has been a blessing, and I have MVYouth to thank for it all. Throughout the semester I was constantly becoming more disappointed due to many events being cancelled because of COVID-19 but I have learned over this semester not to become disappointed over the small things. I have learned to take a step back and be truly grateful for what I have. I am grateful for my health and safety throughout this unpredictable year, friendships, as well as the support of MVYouth through these times of uncertainty. The biggest lesson I have learned this year besides the many amazing topics I have dived deeper into at school, is to be true to yourself and accept any obstacles that may come your way. I have attached a photo not only of myself, but myself in the middle of my two closest friends, pre-COVID-19, to remind everyone to hold onto hope, that our lives will soon return to how they were, where new memories will be made. Thank you MVYouth and everyone who has supported me all these years and I wish you all a happy and healthy 2021!
Marlla Lemos - UMASS, Boston
As times continue to be hectic, I am happy to report that in September 2020 I was offered a full-time position at the law firm I interned at my junior year of college. I now have an amazing job working on obtaining citizenship and legalization for children under the age of twenty-one years old. Working so closely on a matter that means so much to me has been one of the most fulfilling job experiences I have ever had. I look forward to continuing in this line of work, to hopefully be able to attend law school in the near future with the plan of becoming an immigration attorney myself. Now with a lot more time to spare I have started to volunteer my time at a local food pantry in the city of Somerville. In the current world we live in, I strongly believe it is important to lend a hand to others because we are all living through this pandemic together. Other than that, the most exciting thing I have done with fall was adopting two little kittens (named Noodle and Chichi) to keep me entertained and constantly on my toes. I would like to thank MVYouth again for making my dream of becoming the first college graduate in my family come true. I truly would not be in the position I am today without all your help and support. Because of you guys I have a job I am passionate about and can plan for my future without worrying about debt.
Olivia Jacobs - Hamilton College
It feels like a lifetime has passed since my last update in December 2019! When Hamilton College closed last March, I returned to the island and was welcomed with warm, open arms into the home of family friend Kimberly Angell to finish out the semester and graduate online. My concentration in Women’s and Gender Studies culminated in a thesis to meet the moment, titled “Transformative Justice at Hamilton: A Guide for Student Organizing.” Although I missed out on a celebratory final semester, I felt overwhelmingly grateful and privileged to have a roof over my head, an island kiddo to care for, and Land Bank trails to explore as Covid-19 ravaged through communities across the nation. In September, I gathered up all of my courage and made the big move out to Seattle, Washington to begin my Masters of Social Work at the University of Washington. This was a daunting task during the pandemic, especially knowing classes would be online and how hard it would be to make connections in a new, unfamiliar city. I’m proud to say I just finished my first quarter of the program, and found a strong sense of community with four wonderful housemates. I also declared my concentration in Administration and Policy Practice, and am excited to begin my placement next quarter at Yes Farm, a Black-led food justice organization in downtown Seattle. Thank you so much to MYouth for funding my undergraduate education at Hamilton, as the knowledge and experience I received there will be foundational to my postgraduate studies and future career. Although my new home is now located on the other side of the country, I am sending the entire island community my love and wishing healing to all those touched by these difficult times.
Danielle Hopkins - Barnard College
While this semester was certainly not how I envisioned my senior year to be, I have learned a lot and been able to find time for fun as I now enter my final semester at Barnard College. I spent this past semester at home taking my classes remotely as my school did not offer any in-person courses. I have begun writing my senior thesis for my American History major on Gullah cultural preservation at the Penn Center on St. Helena’s island off the coast of South Carolina. My family on my mother’s side is Gullah Geechee and we have a deep connection with the Penn Center, formally Penn School. In addition to my thesis, I was able to take some other great courses remotely including a Women and Gender studies course entitled Critical Approaches in Social and Cultural Theory. I also took a coding class in the language of Python and a Religion course in Black culture in America. While online classes were certainly difficult and it felt like I was already spending a lot of time on Zoom, I was also able to engage in some really great extracurricular activities. I was a part of the Barnard Student Government Association and will continue that role into the spring as the Vice President of Finance. I also was able to continue two of my campus jobs remotely. As a Barnard Student Admissions representative, I took over the Instagram page and gave virtual student experience presentations. As a Barnard Speaking Fellow, I was able to support my fellow peers remotely over Zoom. While I usually am involved in student theater, this semester I decided to take a step back however I did end up directing a 24-hour musical where the Black Theatre Ensemble wrote a spoof of the Cheetah Girls 20 years later and the next day we performed it virtually. It was my first time ever directing a show and it was so much fun! I am a little sad that my final semester at Barnard will also be virtual as I have chosen not to return to New York even though the school is offering in-person classes. I am looking forward to completing my senior thesis and taking my final courses while searching for a job post-graduation, as I hope to move to Philadelphia for two years before attending law school. I also recently begun working at the Green Room and will continue working there part-time next semester. Thanks to the generosity and support of MVYouth I have been able to have such an amazing experience at Barnard and learn so much about myself and the world around me. I am so appreciative of everything you do for the youth of the island community and for giving us opportunities to grow and explore!
Emily Hewson - Bennington College
I have spent 13 months rebuilding myself from the ground up. The grace and understanding of the MVYouth Scholarship made it possible for me to leave on sabbatical halfway through my sophomore year. Despite the unrelenting, daily, seizures, I passed two of my classes, both in music. I am proud to say I excelled in Advanced Voice. I’ve built a strong relationship with my music professor and mentor, Tom Bogdan. Being home has made me realize that both the town and college of Bennington is extremely similar to the Island of Martha’s Vineyard. For instance, it’s rather secluded. Everywhere you go you think to yourself, “Huh, I know that person.” Since leaving Bennington, I’ve been striving to get my epilepsy under control. For the first three months of my sabbatical I was in severe rehabilitation. Over the next two months I began moderate recovery. By the end of September my seizures had finally become manageable. Since then I’ve worked at a gardening store and as a baker’s apprentice. Through these hands on jobs I‘ve found that I thrive just as well as when I’m on stage. I'm not sure where this will take me. It’s a jumping off point, but isn't that the idea? To find a spark and follow it. I’m going to follow, study and surround myself with what inspires me. I plan to return to college in the fall of 2021. As of now, I am in the process of exploring my options of schooling and a possible transfer. I’m currently looking at a few schools in MA that offer performing arts as well as culinary and business programs. I appreciate the second chance to fulfill what I know I’m capable of. To start again with my accomplishments supporting me, not with what I’ve been through weighing me down. This is an opportunity that seemed impossible. Thanks to MVYouth I have the privilege of starting anew.
Samantha Hargy - George Washington University
It has definitely been a year for the books! Last spring I was in the middle of an amazing internship with the Organization of American States when corona virus forced us to go virtual. During this online period I edited and contributed to the Hemispheric Plan of Action on Drugs 2020-2024. Other projects included the establishment of a Case Care Management program in Trinidad and Tobago to create alternatives to incarceration for drug related offenses. As my internship ended, so did my time in college. Instead of the National Mall in Washington, DC, I spent graduation day on my front lawn with family and neighbors. A bittersweet end to an amazing four years of travel and growth! Since May, I’ve been working toward graduate school by taking the GRE and submitting applications for the Fall 2021 semester. I will hopefully receive an offer by early March. Also in March I am headed to Arizona to solo hike the Arizona Trail, an 800 mile trek from Mexico to Utah. The trail goes right through the Grand Canyon, and I am anticipating a finish time of 55 days. What better way to quarantine than solo camping for two months! I’m looking forward to the year ahead, despite the unpredictability of it all, and hope my next update is filled with exciting new academic and professional ventures. As always, I am so thankful MVYouth has afforded me the security of no student loans during this especially difficult year. As I get older, I always enjoy reading about each new group of students you support and I reminisce on the moment I got word that MVYouth wanted to support me, now more than 4 years ago! Wow!
Lena Hanschka - Colby College
I began the year studying land conservation with a program focused in field research in Chilean Patagonia. We would pack up and head out to go backpacking for up to two weeks at a time, living in the backcountry out of tents and tarps. We spent our days transecting through forests and bogs, collecting population and biodiversity data. Each night, we returned back to camp for dinner followed by an evening class. The program took a holistic approach, integrating biology and ecology with natural history and environmental humanities. I learned about the people who had inhabited the land before it was bought and converted to conversation land. We discussed the various perspectives that should be considered and respected when preserving areas of land, thinking about how to effectively implement conservation policies in a sustainable and impactful way. In March, I returned to the Vineyard to quarantine during the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. I finished out my classes online and enjoyed the calm and beauty of the island during the off-season. In early May, I started working for the Trustees of Reservations on their Chappaquiddick properties as a shorebird technician. Each day, I would head out onto the beaches trying to locate pairs of nesting piping plovers and American oystercatchers. The nests were then monitored daily, observing how many eggs were laid and later, how many chicks had hatched. It was incredibly rewarding tracking the progress of the birds, almost all of whom were nesting along beaches with vehicle access. I learned more about land and species management in areas highly trafficked by humans and how to balance the needs of the wildlife with the wants of the community. In the fall, I returned to Colby College for hybrid classes. Luckily, the school was able to finance mass testing and quarantine any students who did test positive for COVID-19, allowing us to stay on campus for the semester. Overall, I was really happy to be able to return to campus and was able to take advantage of being in Maine with access to both the mountains and the coast.
Andres Garcia - Cornell College
This fall semester at Cornell has certainly been an interesting one to say the least. In late August, Cornell is usually filled with life. Everyone’s out meeting new people, going swimming in lakes, living stress-free until classes start. I should’ve been in training camp preparing for the incoming football season. Sadly, this wasn’t the case. There was no football season and although we could interact with new people, it was a very different experience. However, I was able to focus more on my academics than I normally would and decided to take six classes. I never thought I’d take that many classes in one semester, but it’s proven to be very helpful. I plan on getting a minor in business, so I took an asynchronous marketing class to get started on that. I also took a junior level class so that I can have a less stressful fifth semester and also to be able to focus more on my football season next year. Although we weren’t able to have a football season this year, the silver lining is that now I have an extra year of eligibility for football. I realized that I want to play as much collegiate football as I can, so my current goal is to be able to take a graduate year at Stanford and play football, once I graduate from Cornell. This will certainly be a challenge, but I’m confident that through consistently pushing myself and working hard, I can do it. This semester was very significant. It gave me time to think about what I wanted to do after Cornell, and now I have more time to focus on my goals, both physically and academically. I am grateful for all of the support that MVYouth has given me, especially throughout these challenging times.
Lee Faraca - Cal Poly
In July 2020, I successfully defended my thesis ”A Water Balance And Sediment Yield Analysis Model For The Lopez Lake Reservoir”, earning a Master’s Degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cal Poly. In typical fashion, I returned to the Vineyard and resumed working for the Avant Gardener MV during July. There is something special about a Vineyard summer that is impossible to find anywhere else. Starting in August 2020 I moved to Oakland, CA to start my full time job as an engineer for LEE + RO Water/Wastewater Engineers in Walnut Creek, CA. At LEE + RO, I work as a supporting civil engineer whom is getting cross-trained in the mechanical and electrical engineering fields. I’ve been lucky enough to work on a wide arrange of projects, from pump stations in Solano County, to switchgear replacements in Antioch, to HVAC improvements in San Francisco. Living in Oakland has been a great experience. It is in close proximity to San Francisco, but more affordable. Yosemite, Big Sur, Lake Tahoe, Point Reyes, Los Padres, and Redwoods are all within a couple hours’ drive, and make for a great, COVID friendly, weekend trip. COVID depending, I hope to backpack the Lost Coast Trail in NorCal this spring. Organized sports, such as soccer, must remain activities to look forward to in the future. I’m only slightly very depressed… but my hopes of coaching soccer may resume later in 2021. In the meantime my current roommate, and former Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Cal Poly Student Chapter President, are continuing working for EWB. Together we are the Co-Student Outreach Coordinators for the San Francisco Professional (SFP) Chapter and working towards growing the student and young professional population of EWB. EWB SFP has a project in Weledi, Ethiopia, where we are working towards mitigating seasonal flooding.
Rose Engler - Brown University
When I began on my journey to an MD, my primary goal was to acquire a global medical education; I want to learn about cultural diversity and how it affects the human condition so that I can better understand my patients and the meaning of care. I followed this interest to Taiwan in 2019, where I studied Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In TCM, doctors do not treat an illness, but rather a person with an illness. My experience in Taiwan taught me that health care reaches far beyond the physical body and should aim to maintain a delicate harmony between the body and soul. Patient and physician interviews alongside discussions with healers, patient families, and Buddhist monks taught me that one’s mental, physical and spiritual health, society, culture, and environment all affect that harmony, and therefore, should all be cared for. A few months later, I traveled to Israel to conduct research on how internalized stigma affects the quality of life of people who are HIV+. The conglomerate of physician and patient interviews made one thing apparent: that illness has both physiological and psychosocial components that need to be discussed and addressed. This made me realize that in some ways, the goal of western medicine is beginning to align with that of eastern medicine, both approaches searching for harmony. These experiences have allowed me to interweave aspects of various religions, cultures, and values to create a multifaceted medical education that celebrates individualism. I hope to carry this mindset into the medical community when I become a physician with the goal of implementing an integrative medical practice that inspires doctors to tailor their care to their patient’s unique needs. I am incredibly humbled and grateful for the support and generosity of MVYouth. Thanks to their kindness, Brown University has become my incredible beginning, and the world has become my classroom. As we move into the future, I hope that the global community will continue to work together to contain the Coronavirus so that we can all begin to heal and move into our new normal.
Marissa D'Antonio - Boston College
This past semester was incredibly educational, difficult, and eye opening. I took a full course load, participated in clubs, and fell in love with weight lifting all during a global pandemic. This semester I took three business courses, an Italian course, and a course on Swift and iOS app development. This app development class was packed full of coding, interface design, and computer science principles, leading me to learn how to develop a full-stack app in one semester. Though this course was incredibly rigorous and challenging, it showed me that if I work hard at something and put the time in, I can learn anything. I plan on continuing to work on developing apps, and am thinking about seeking an internship in app development and design. As with everything else, none of my clubs were in person this semester. I am on the E-Board for Consultants for Social Impact, and was in charge of transitioning the club to be able to function remotely. We were incredibly successful in working with six non-profit organizations, doing consulting work, planning fundraising, and website development. This semester I continued my community service with 4Boston, tutoring for the Allston Brighton Community Development Center. Though this did not mean going into the city on the T like in semesters past, I was able to continue to watch my students learn and grow through an incredibly difficult time. I have known many of these kids for over two years now, but this semester we were all able to connect on a deeper level. Though online learning was tough for me, it was nothing compared to what low income students, with non-English speaking parents were going through. These kids truly taught me that you can achieve anything with resilience and a little bit of extra work. I plan to continue my work with them for the rest of my time at Boston College. Thank you so much MVYouth for having my back during this very difficult time. You have truly made it possible for me to continue my education through thick and thin.
Sam Cranston - University of Vermont
In early March of 2020, I headed off to Florida for a baseball tournament with the UVM Club Baseball team. My teammates and I laughed as we saw people wearing masks on the flight down, completely unaware of the pandemic that was about to engulf the world. About half way through the trip, we got the news that UVM would be closing indefinitely. Upon returning to Vermont, I packed up my dorm and headed home, leaving behind my new friends and an unforgettable freshman year. COVID-19 turned my world on its heels, squandering everything that had made college life so special. Yet throughout it all, I tried to make the most of the situation I was faced with. I raised my GPA significantly in both “COVID” semesters so far, including returning to campus this past fall, despite 95% of my classes taking place online. In the few in-person classes and labs I did have, I made the most of them by asking questions and staying after to work on chemistry problems with my professor. During the week, I was able to continue practicing with the baseball team, with intra-squad scrimmages taking place on weekends. Despite wearing masks, these scrimmages created a sense of normalcy to life that really helped me get through the semester. I even hit a double to the fence in the last scrimmage of the year, on my birthday no less. The past semester was full of challenges, and life on campus could feel sad at times. With that being said, I’m really happy I chose to go up to Vermont in person. Despite a few COVID scares and a week in the quarantine dorms, I was able to strengthen the friendships I created last year. I’m planning on returning to campus at the end of January, and cannot wait for life after the vaccine! I am forever thankful for the opportunities MVYouth has given me. Your belief in my potential drives me to succeed, even in an upside down world.