Graham Stearns - Colgate University

My first semester at Colgate University has been challenging but academically and socially rewarding. I have made friends and memories that will last a lifetime, and it is easy to say that the past four months have been some of the best of my life. At first, adjusting to the workload and new environment was difficult, but after the first few weeks, it was easy to balance a successful academic and social life. The community at Colgate creates a contagious, hardworking environment and a unique bond between the student body.

I have taken the opportunity to expand my ideas and activities through clubs and events hosted by Colgate. Club hockey at Colgate has been a great athletic and social experience. It has introduced me to new people and allowed me to continue playing hockey at a competitive level. Guest speakers and alumni networks have also guided some of my current focus, connecting me with groups and organizations that include me in projects such as protecting the endangered Right Whale through policy and political efforts.

So far, I have found the liberal arts experience rewarding with exposure to diverse classes. It has allowed me to take courses that would typically be outside my comfort zone of natural sciences. Colgate University has also introduced me to new ideas through subject studies such as modernity, politics, philosophy, and other sciences. I plan to declare as an environmental studies major but will continue to explore new courses and disciplines before making my final decision. I am so grateful for the opportunity that MVYouth has given me, for supporting me through my college experience, and for the people that make this program possible.

Sam Fetters - Amherst College

If there’s one word I could use to describe my first semester, it would be adventure. And from classes, to community, to commuting, I’ve been exposed to new experiences, new people, and new perspectives. Students and faculty hail from across the globe, and I’ve met people from South Korea, Spain, Bangladesh, Ukraine, and even mainland China. In fact, Amherst boasts students from over fifty-eight countries!

My first year seminar, Democratic Backsliding, was my favorite class, but I also enjoyed in-depth classes on contemporary Russia and China, opening up my perspective to each nation’s strengths and weaknesses. This fall, Amherst hosted a forum with January 6 committee member Jamie Raskin, while a month later, I witnessed a student government impeachment! It made me feel fortunate to hear from someone involved in government and watch civic procedures up close. And on top of that, I took a computer science class, which jump started a new love for programming, as I delved into coding puzzle games, rudimentary artificial intelligence, and a Super Mario Bros. clone.

But ultimately, I was drawn to Amherst because of its community, and that made my experience special. The college is simultaneously insular and all-encompassing, with a club for every interest. I was involved with Quiz Bowl, Model UN, our outing club, and helped get our running club active. I’ve met several like-minded friends and some of my favorite times have been exploring the many roads and trails in western Massachusetts. I bike every weekend, and discovered the mysterious night-time run! Next semester I am taking: Data Structures, Computer Systems, Religion and Violence in the Roman Empire, and Empires in Global History, and I’m training for a marathon in May. I’m extraordinarily grateful for MVYouth’s support, and I can’t wait for my next semester at Amherst.

Jessie Dlabaj - Clemson University

My first semester at Clemson went by in a blur. It was challenging and rewarding, yet it exceeded all of my expectations. This summer, my family and I moved from Martha’s Vineyard to Charleston, South Carolina a week after high school graduation. Shortly after, I moved into college a week earlier than most since I was going through the sorority recruitment process. I was able to meet many new people, including several from my dorm. I opted to live in a STEM community living center, which means everyone in my building is a STEM major. This has allowed me to meet new friends who share my same interest and work ethic. Immersing myself in this population has also broadened my knowledge of STEM majors and professions. There are many that have piqued my interest and I look forward to learning more about a variety of fields, including the medical and engineering field. Currently, my major is Biological Sciences. My workload this past semester was moderately heavy and challenging. The most challenging aspect was taking Chemistry and Biology simultaneously. From this experience, I have learned the importance of time management and strong study habits. While it was quite difficult, it was also extremely rewarding. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Clemson this fall, including being part of such a large and diverse community. Despite the large size of the campus and number of students, I have truly been able to feel at home at Clemson. I am looking forward to next semester, where I hope to get more involved in the community and explore more career paths and majors. All of these experiences would not be possible without the MVYouth Scholarship. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and the many things I have learned along the way. Thank you for the support and investment in my future.

Isabella Clarke - Brown University

My first semester at Brown University has been amazing! The environment here is academically demanding yet very supportive as well. The professors are extremely dedicated to their field of study and genuinely want to see you succeed. In addition, the students are equally supportive. I've formed a great group of friends that I look forward to seeing next semester!

The open curriculum has allowed me to explore many topics outside my major. For example, I enrolled in Introduction to American Politics, Ethnic Studies, the History of Monuments, and Introduction to Social Forces. My Ethnic Studies course focused on Indigenous history and was taught by a member of the Cherokee tribe. The diversity at Brown has always appealed to me, and this course allowed me to connect to my identity as an Indigenous woman.

While Brown does not offer a pre-law major, my extracurriculars have assisted me with my goal of attending law school after undergrad. I joined the Black Pre-Law Association, which helps support African American students with the law school admission process by connecting them to alumni and providing them with LSAT study resources. I am the Freshman Year Liaison in this club, which has allowed me to expand our reach and host bonding events. I also joined the Brown Pre-Law Women's Association, which connected me to a tight-knit group of female students considering a career in law. We regularly hold study sessions for the LSAT, which has allowed me to become familiar with the test format.

I look forward to next semester to continue to expand my interest in psychology and create more memorable experiences. The first semester exceeded my expectations and was equally challenging and rewarding. I want to thank MVYouth for their commitment to my education and their support in making my dream of attending Brown University come true!

Ella Buchert - University of Massachusetts, Amherst

My first semester at college flew by. UMass Amherst was exactly what I needed in a school. UMass is full of pride, opportunities, great people, dedicated professors, and #1 dining. UMass has the most welcoming people I’ve ever met, and everyone is willing to lend a helping hand. Coming from an island, transitioning to one of the largest universities wasn’t easy, but the professors and people have made me feel like I can do anything. I feel myself becoming more independent every day that I spend there. I know the friends I have met this semester will be in my life for a long time, and I’m so grateful to have the environment UMass, Amherst provides.

I was overwhelmed at first by the opportunities that were everywhere, but I went to club fairs in the first weeks and joined the Outing Club and MASSPIRG. MASSPIRG is an awesome student advocacy group that supports climate action and voting rights. I got involved on my way to class when their tabling crew helped me sign up to vote on the spot. Their members seemed like great people dedicated to the climate crisis. The Outing Club strives to get people in nature by hosting trips like cave diving and climbing local mountains. I’m excited to attend another spring club fair and join more groups.

These months at UMass have been fantastic, and I look forward to many more. My classes and professors have made me want to explore what I can do as an environmental science major. I’m thinking of double majoring or minoring in Natural Resource Conservation or Geoscience. There are endless opportunities college has provided me, and I’m so thankful to have the support of MVYouth. I would have had a much more stressful college life without MVYouth behind me. I’m very grateful to come from such a beautiful island with such generous people.

Gino Chick - New England Institute of Technology

I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation towards the MVYouth scholarship program for funding my studies at New England Institute of Technology. My two and a half years there flew by so quickly, and came to an end last May when I graduated. I graduated with an Associate's Degree in Renewable Energies. Since then I have been working full time here on the island for Robert Young Jr. Electrical Contractor as an electricians apprentice. I really enjoy doing electrical and I’m looking forward to see what the future holds for me.

Liam Weiland - Berklee College of Music

This is my first post-graduate MVYouth update. I graduated from Berklee in May with a degree in Electronic Production and Design. My past four years of education were incredibly rewarding and I could not be more grateful for the opportunity the MVYouth founders and donors gave me in awarding me the scholarship in 2017. The biggest life change for me since graduating is that I now live on the west coast. I decided to move to Los Angeles this past June and have been there the last 7 months. Having gone to Berklee gave me a strong base of classmates and alumni to help me acclimate to the new city.

In early October, I accepted a position as a General Assistant at Larrabee Studios in North Hollywood. Larrabee is a world class recording studio that is a favorite of many A-list musicians and artists. It is exactly the institution I was dreaming to work at when I moved to Los Angeles and I could not be more grateful to have been offered the position. I’ll be learning the operations of a studio of the highest caliber, where the training involved to eventually become a full-time engineer will be a massive learning experience.

The great education I was afforded the opportunity to receive at Berklee is what prepared me to land this position at Larrabee Studios. With this new job I am now looking forward to work every day, and get to spend my time working in a music studio- which has always been my dream. I have the opportunity to bring the education I received at Berklee to the next level- working in a professional facility filled with staff that have decades of experience in the music industry. I could not be more excited for what this next year will bring as I keep working to become a full-time recording engineer.

Galya Walt - Tufts University

Over the past year, I have been lucky to be working as a research assistant and now project coordinator for the HEALing Communities Study through Boston Medical Center. The study is an NIH-funded grant aiming to reduce opioid overdose deaths by 40% in four states: Kentucky, New York, Ohio and Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, we are working with 16 communities to implement opioid overdose prevention and medication services by working with local community coalitions. My day to day involves attending community coalition meetings, conducting interviews with local community stakeholders and analyzing qualitative data. Through this experience, I learned I want to work in harm reduction services with people who use drugs in the future. I just finished applying to dual Masters in Social Work and Masters in Public Health programs to pursue my goal of providing both clinical services and continuing to use research to advocate for safe injection sites in the U.S.

Outside of work, I have loved living in Boston with close access to both hiking in the mountains in New Hampshire and visiting my family on the island. I am very lucky to have a close community where I live in Boston, and have enjoyed getting to know the area as vaccines became more available over the spring and summer. I am so grateful for MVYouth’s generosity, and I feel so blessed to be a part of this wonderful and supportive island community.

Kaela Vecchia-Zeitz - New York University

As our world has continued to change in the last year, so have I. 2021 was a year of immense personal growth for me, as I decided to take the year off from school and social work. I spent the winter, spring, and summer bopping from one Martha’s Vineyard rental to another, all while working at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services Chicken Alley Thrift Shop. It was while working at Chicken Alley that I connected with a new community of islanders, as most of my close friends from high school were not home for the pandemic. Not only did I score some incredible vintage clothes, but I also learned so much about our electic, loving, complex island community. I became quite close with my coworkers, volunteers, and regular shoppers during a time where closeness was fraught. This deepened my gratitude for the special place we all call home. Since September of 2021 though, I have been off the island. My first stop was Brooklyn to visit college friends, and give New York the proper goodbye I was never able to give when I graduated from NYU back home in May of 2020. I loved being back in Brooklyn so much I decided to spend an additional month there. During that time I began volunteering at a community garden which distributes food and supplies to houseless people in Bushwick. I also spent a lot of time biking around the different boroughs, exploring new neighborhoods, and reminiscing in old ones. As 2022 rolls around, I am excited for the year to come. I just accepted my offer of enrollment to University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice where I will be getting my Master’s in Social Work. I plan to move to Chicago in June of 2022.

Charles Parkhurst - UCLA

I’ve had a lot of exciting times in the last year! My work is totally remote so I moved to NYC mainly for the adventure. I’ve been meeting lots of new people and having a ton of fun. Work has been going great! Our hedge fund (Stoic Strategies LLC) has been making great strides and I just finished up my first year. I’ve stayed working developing trading algorithms, but my job is very dynamic. I just got promoted to DeFi Fund Manager (decentralized finance) which I’m super happy about and is something I’ve been working on for many months. Basically blockchain technology is allowing us to create high yield savings accounts for our clients and I’m developing/operating the portfolio. I love it so much I’m hoping this is the last job I ever have! I’ve also been waking up really early each morning to take blockchain/finance classes and improve my trading. I’ve also been having a great time in the city, so not just work:) So a lot of positivity and productivity in the last year. Very happy and doing very well! Thank you so much for making this all possible! My picture is from the Bitcoin Miami conference that my boss sent me on which was a ton of fun.

Anne Ollen - Barnard College

This past year was a time of many challenges and changes, but also a time of reflection and renewal. This September, I left my previous job in digital marketing and started a new position at the West Tisbury School as an Educational Support Professional (ESP). As an ESP in the middle school, I assist classroom teachers and provide one-on-one support for students throughout the day. Having gone to the West Tisbury School as a child, it has been great to return as a teacher and carry forward the same positive educational experience that I received years before. It certainly hasn’t been an easy start to the year with continued complications from the pandemic, but I have immensely enjoyed this new chapter in my life and look forward to an ongoing career in education.

Outside of working in the school, I have appreciated spending as much time outside as possible either walking my dog, going to the beach, or exploring the different trails across the island. I also have spent more time in the kitchen than ever before, trying out new recipes and cooking techniques. While we continue to adapt to the challenges caused by COVID, I am grateful for the increased time that I have been able to spend with friends and family.

As I begin this new chapter in my career, I am forever thankful for the support of MVYouth and its donors. To be able to look forward to applying to graduate school without the worry of undergraduate debt opens so many doors. Thank you again for all that you have done and continue to do for the students of Martha’s Vineyard!

Madeleine Moore - University of Chicago

This year, I started a new job with a political fundraising firm called MissionWired as a Digital Associate. In this role, I run email and advertising programs for nonprofits such as the Brady Center, a gun violence prevention organization, and national Democratic political campaigns such as the reelection campaigns for Sen. Warnock and Sen. Cortez-Masto. I advise these clients on digital strategy and help them grow their donor base so they can continue their important work. After campaigning for Elizabeth Warren and Biden, I am excited to be in D.C. experiencing a new side of politics. I got a great little apartment and am enjoying discovering a new city (though I cannot wait to get back to Chicago!).

Given the ongoing pandemic, I am fortunate to primarily work remotely for a while. I have been able to spend the majority of the year on the Vineyard. I was fortunate to reconnect with old friends, teachers, and community members on the island I had not seen since high school. I volunteered with the MV Food Baskets program which gives groceries to hundreds of island families. I am reminded with each move away from the home how unique and supportive our island community is. We are so very lucky and I look forward to seeing everyone again come the summer.

Casey McAndrews - Hamilton College

It has been another eventful year for the books! Since my last update, I have continued to work as a medical assistant at an ophthalmology practice and still enjoy each day spent in the clinic working alongside many talented physicians. In the spring, I had the opportunity to get involved in clinical research organizing data for entry into a nationwide study analyzing the efficiency and effectiveness of a newer medical device that can be implanted during cataract surgery to slow the progression of glaucoma. Being able to work in healthcare, especially during the pandemic, has been an invaluable way to see how doctors care and advocate for the health of their patients, even in the most difficult of situations.

Over the past year, a large portion of my time was spent applying to medical schools. I am excited to say that after many essays and tests, I have officially been accepted into medical school and will be matriculating into the Class of 2026 next fall! I am still in the process of interviewing at different schools so my decision is not final as to where I will be going, but stay tuned. When I wasn’t busy working on applications, my free time was spent fostering a family of adorable newborn puppies, exploring new nature trails or kayaking along the bay, and virtually volunteering as a crisis counselor for the Crisis Text Line, a global non-profit organization that provides free short-term mental health services for those in crisis via texting.

Although these past few years have been challenging for everyone, I am hopeful and excited about the things that are to come. Thank you again, MVYouth, for all that you have done to help me get this far in my journey of becoming a physician.

Olivia Jacobs - Hamilton College

Over a year and a half has passed since I first moved to Seattle, Washington in the middle of the pandemic, not knowing a single soul. That leap of faith proved valuable, as I now feel most at home with mountains and evergreen trees nearby, and that crisp, perpetually damp air all around. I just completed the first quarter of my second and final year in the Master of Social Work program at the University of Washington, where I am in the Administration and Policy Practice concentration. I’ve been hard at work preparing policy memos, drawing up logic models for anti-racist social services, and honing my organizational leadership skills. I am focusing much of my work on de-carcerating mental health care and advocating for voluntary, peer-led alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization. For my second-year internship, I am a project facilitator with the Northwest Behavioral Health Research Alliance, a newly formed group of service users, providers, and researchers who collaborate to conduct research and quickly put the results into practice in mental health settings. To combat the rigor of grad school, pandemic-induced isolation, and Seattle’s dark winter months, I try to fill my free time with laughter and connection, something creative (learning to knit) and exercise (boxing and rock climbing are my current favorites). I’m excited to graduate with my MSW this coming June, and I intend on staying in the Pacific Northwest as I enter the workforce. I feel so appreciative for the financial support MVYouth gave me during my undergrad career, as I would not have entered a graduate program had I finished my bachelor’s degree with significant student loans. As always, I am sending my support and affection to the resilient Vineyard community that raised me up.

Danielle Hopkins - Barnard University

This past year has been one filled with major life transitions for me personally. I am honored to say I graduated magna cum laude from Barnard with departmental honors for my senior thesis on the Penn Center on St. Helena’s island. Even though graduation was virtual, like my entire senior year, I was really happy I got to celebrate the accomplishment with my family at home. Especially with my grandmother who I was really proud to have at my graduation. In May, my grandmother passed away, and as many of you may know we had a very close and special relationship that was hard to have to see transition. The spring of 2021 was challenging for me and my family but knowing my grandmother had been able to see me through this chapter before her passing was truly a gift I am grateful to have gotten.

I know last year I had intentions of moving to Philadelphia but I actually ended up moving to Houston, Texas in June. I am living with my aunt and uncle as I work as a client advocate at the Harris County Public Defenders office. I am working at the Public Defenders office through a national non-profit called Partners for Justice. Partners for Justice trains non-attorney Advocates to provide clients with case navigation and wraparound support while assisting public defenders in advocating for more favorable case outcomes. One of the co-founders of the program recently moved to Martha’s Vineyard and it has been great to connect with her through our shared love for the island community. Navigating my early 20’s during a global pandemic has had its fair share of challenges, but I also have grown and learned so much in these past few months since graduation. I will be in Texas until 2023 when (if all goes to plan) I will be attending law school. I am so grateful for the platform and opportunity MV Youth provided me throughout my 4 years of undergrad and beyond, and I am so excited to see what other young adults and island programs get the honor to be a part of the MVYouth family.

Lena Hanschka - Colby College

In January of 2021, I returned to campus at Colby College to begin my final semester of my senior year. Thankfully, the majority of my classes were held in-person and I was able to live on campus, participating in my normal extra-curricular activities and taking advantage of my final months of college. I continued my on campus jobs, working as a research assistant in the Colby Lab for Ice and Climate Research as well as assisting a global studies professor whose recent work has focused on homogenizing rhetoric that promotes nationalism in the US. I also worked for Colby’s sustainability department leading student outreach programs and at the school’s rock climbing wall. In May, I graduated, with a major in anthropology and a minor in environmental studies.

I came home to the Vineyard for the summer, returning to my job with the Trustees of Reservations on their Chappaquiddick properties. There, I worked as a member of their shorebird monitoring team, making daily observations of the nesting and breeding statuses of the protected birds that inhabit the Vineyard’s beaches during the summer months. Because these beaches are also greatly utilized by the public during in the summer, this job provided a unique opportunity to examine strategies for managing the relationship between beach goers and the wildlife that depend on these habitats for their survival and reproduction. I found my conversations with members of the public to be the most rewarding aspect of this job, with each encounter providing me insights on how to best explain and educate people about the importance of wildlife management and protection while also taking into account recreational public access to these beautiful properties.

I spent this fall traveling around both the U.S. and overseas to France, taking advantage of the time I had between jobs to think more deeply about what I wish to pursue next. I’m spending this winter in the Chamonix valley in the French alps, working as a private chef and building up my backcountry skiing and wilderness safety skills.

Sam Hargy - George Washington University

Hi everyone! This last year has been very exciting. I took a year off between undergrad and graduate school, so in March 2021 I set off to Arizona to hike the 800 mile Arizona Trail from Mexico to Utah! This was my first long distance hike and took me about 60 days to complete. I camped every night, got to hike rim to rim in the Grand Canyon in a snow storm, and learned to love living out of my backpack. It was an incredible experience and I met some amazing people!

In August I headed back to Washington, DC for graduate school at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies where I am pursuing a Master’s degree in international relations. I finished my first of four semesters at Johns Hopkins with a 3.92 GPA and a spot on the Dean’s List. My classes focused on Latin America, and included a seminar on drug policy in the region. It’s a two year program, so I’ll be in DC until at least May 2023, but hopefully I’ll stick around after and pursue a career here. GW finally held our delayed in-person graduation on the National Mall, and it was a great opportunity to see all of my friends from college after almost two years. After a long winter break, I’m back to class for next semester at the end of January, and I’m looking forward to more adventures!

Paulo Pereira Filho - University of Massachusetts, Amherst

This past May, I graduated Summa Cum Laude and had a modified in-person commencement ceremony. I spent the summer on the Vineyard working a couple of summer jobs and continued to assist my capstone professor in researching growth investment opportunities within the technology sector. Additionally, I continued to persistently apply for full-time positions to begin my career in Finance. In Fall 2021, I moved to New York City to start my full-time job as an Analyst in the Securitized Products Group (SPG) at Morgan Stanley, a multinational investment bank.

More specifically, within SPG, I work with asset-backed securities, credit default swaps, and collateralized loan obligations, which are a few of the verticals involved when doing deals with clients. Since joining Morgan Stanley, I have been busy nonstop. The work is immensely complex, and I genuinely learn something new every day. Over the next few months, I will be studying for several exams to obtain the required FINRA licenses for all new Analysts. I look forward to obtaining these licenses as they will allow me to take on even more responsibility at work. I am very thankful and fortunate to have this opportunity at such a reputable firm — I know it will help me in the future as I continue to advance my professional career.

It is truly amazing to see how much MVYouth has grown over the years. It makes me smile every time I see a new initiative, ongoing grant, and a new class of MVYouth recipients, as I know firsthand how much of a difference it makes. I am eternally grateful for MVYouth, all of its donors, and I am very much appreciative of all the support these past several years. Thank you, MVYouth!

Lee Faraca - Cal Poly

For better or for worse, it seems like this past year has flown by. It’s been about a year and a half since I started working for Lee + Ro in Walnut Creek, CA. We are a small, but growing, water/wastewater engineering consultant firm. I work as a civil project engineer, helping design, coordinating, and managing the design submissions and construction support. Most of my projects are within the wastewater field and are mainly electrically focused, such as generators, motor control centers, switchgears, and power improvements for wastewater treatment plants. I passed my NCEES Civil Engineering PE Exam last spring and hope to be a fully licensed civil engineer in the state of California by May 2022. Outside of work I have continued to volunteer with Engineers Without Borders (EWB). I am still a part of the San Francisco Professional Chapter and have been working on a project in Weledi, Ethiopia. Unfortunately, part of the community has been destroyed by the TPLF in the Tigray War. Once the conflict starts to de-escalate, we can continue our work, which will likely be rebuilding a clinic and possibly a school. In my free time I like to explore, whether it is walking around San Francisco, hiking in Tahoe, or camping in Big Sur, I feel like I need to take advantage of the bay weekend trip potential. A big thank you to MVYouth for all past, ongoing, and future efforts for the betterment of the island community.