Over the past year, I moved to Chicago to earn my Master’s in Social Work from the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Part of the program is completing a field placement at an agency of my choosing to receive hands-on experience working in the social work field. I chose to intern at the non-profit, Resilience, dedicated to the healing and empowerment of sexual assault survivors through counseling, individual and group trauma therapy, and medical and legal advocacy in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Resilience also provides public education and institutional advocacy in order to improve the treatment of sexual assault survivors and to effect positive change in policies and public attitudes toward sexual assault. I intern with Resilience’s Education & Training Team where we provide prevention education to students starting in Kindergarten but ranging up to 12th grade and beyond. The lessons vary depending on age, but we generally talk to students about consent, healthy boundaries, safe & unsafe touches, the importance of reporting assault/harassment to safe adults, and how prevalent and preventable sexual assault is in our society. I have found the work to be incredibly fulfilling as I have tended to work one-on-one with survivors in therapeutic settings, so to be able to teach prevention education to students is deeply personal, meaningful, and important to me. When I am not in school or at my field placement, I enjoy bike rides along the lakefront, going to live music shows, meeting new people, and exploring the incredible city of Chicago!
Meghan Sawyer - Colgate University
What an eventful year! Last May I graduated from Colgate University with a degree in Mathematical Economics. I still cannot believe how quickly the years flew by. I remember my freshman year when I first arrived at Colgate, it was an adjustment. Being away from home for the first time, I was scared, nervous, but excited for what was ahead. Four years later at graduation, I couldn’t help but feel as I did when I arrived. I was scared of leaving behind the wonderful people and places I’ve come to know so well, nervous about what comes next, but excited about all the possibilities the future holds. I came home, unpacked my bags and thought to myself, “Ok, now what?”. I had an incredible summer on the island while I was on the job hunt. Luckily, after a few months I landed a job at an amazing company, and in August I moved to Boston and started my new position. I currently work at Edelstein & Company, a public accounting firm located in Boston’s financial district. I am an associate in the Healthcare department, so I do work for different medical practices and physicians. Since starting I love my job and I love the amazing people I’ve met at Edelstein. Living in Boston has been a dream. I've been exploring all over the city, and I can't wait to continue getting to know Boston. I’ve done a lot of growing since that day when I first arrived at Colgate, and I want to thank MVYouth for supporting me all throughout undergrad.
Charles Parkhurst - UCLA
A lot has taken place over the course of the last year! As you can imagine if you’ve seen some of the recent news, the cryptocurrency space has undoubtedly been going through some turbulent times. Unfortunately, the hedge fund I was working at was not unscathed and ended up letting go of their employees over the summer (myself included). I decided to take some time to work for myself and build my background rather than immediately apply for new positions. I took a number of online courses over the summer in areas ranging from decentralized finance to programming and financial modeling. As I’ve built experience as a trader since the summer of 2016, I’ve been trading for myself these last few months as my primary income. The skills I built at the hedge fund working on algorithmic trading have given me a great set of tools that I’ve been utilizing to be successful with this. I’ve also begun taking consulting calls with the firm AlphaSights, providing insight for firms looking to get into the blockchain space. Having been through the last bear market that started roughly five years ago, this is all market behavior I’m used to and I’m still highly confident in the potential for blockchain technology in the years to come. I fully plan on continuing to build a career in the space and am working on an exciting entrepreneurial venture with a couple of my colleagues. However, it’s great to know that I always have the option of continuing my work in eCommerce as well. I’m still figuring out my path, but with hard work I’m sure that all will work out!
Annie Ollen - Barnard College
This year has been full of growth and transition as I continue my career in education on the Vineyard. I am still working as an Educational Support Professional (ESP) at the West Tisbury School where I assist middle school students in their math classes. I began the process of taking my license exams to become a math teacher and hope to start graduate school in the fall. In addition to supporting students in the classroom, I am one of the adult supervisors of the Student Council which helps to organize community service projects and school-wide events. I also coached the volleyball team last spring, and am assisting in this year’s school theater production of Matilda.
Working in education in the same school and community that raised me has been more rewarding than I could’ve ever imagined. I feel so fortunate to have received such an incredible education as a child, which was integral for my success in college and beyond. I hope to be able to create the same positive impact for the next generation of Island kids. Building a career and a life on the Vineyard as a young adult has not been easy with the increased cost of living and housing shortage. However, not having the burden of undergraduate student debt has allowed me to start this next chapter exactly where I want to be - back at home.
MVYouth’s continued investment in the young people on this Island allows kids like me to keep dreaming to achieve whatever they aspire to. This spring will mark eight years since my family and I learned that I would be one of the first scholarship recipients, and with each passing year my appreciation continues to grow for the impact this support has had on the trajectory of my life.
Madeleine Moore - University of Chicago
In 2022, I continued to work to fundraise for Senator Warnock and Senator Cortez Masto at MissionWired. I was promoted to a Digital Strategist and went on to help raise over $250 million for these senators! In this role, I advise clients on digital strategy, as well as write, draft, and produce fundraising copy. Both senators won their hard-fought battleground races, and expanded on the democratic senate majority. I am incredibly proud and excited to continue this work into the 2024 cycle. Looking forward, I am contemplating applying to law school. I’d like to continue working in politics either at a national level or back in Massachusetts. Additionally, I was able to travel to Iceland and then the United Kingdom to see my sister graduate from college! After many years of limited travel, it was great to be exploring new places again. I travelled to see my cousin get married and my sister start college at Yale (as an MVYouth scholarship semifinalist!). I am loving city life in D.C.; museums, restaurants, friends, but always miss and come back to the Vineyard as often as possible.
Evelyn Medeiros - Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science
This past year I worked as a registered nurse on a medical surgical floor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. I met and learned from incredible professionals working in many disciplines that welcomed and supported me as I began my nursing career. Working on a med-surg floor at a big Boston hospital, I was able to care for patients from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of illnesses, teaching me a lot about medicine, as well as different communities and cultures. I learned not only how to care for my patients physically, but also spiritually and emotionally. I found that doing what’s best for my patients doesn’t always mean prolonging life, but often preserving their comfort and dignity. While the year did not go without its challenges, I believe these lessons and others have truly helped me grow substantially as a nurse and as an individual.
Though working at BIDMC was such a great experience, I decided to move to New Jersey as my partner continues his research at Princeton University. During the process of transferring my RN license to New Jersey, I took advantage of the extra free time by fulfilling my long time dream of adopting a dog. Her name is Caramel, and she was rescued from a wildfire in South Korea. It has been so rewarding training and caring for her as she acclimates to life outside of the shelter and becomes part of our family. I now look forward to getting back to work and continuing my nursing career here in New Jersey, bringing all of my experiences and knowledge to my next job. As always, I would like to thank MVYouth and its donors for their incredible generosity that has made all of this possible.
Casey McAndrews - Hamilton College
This past June, I started my first year of medical school at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine. I have loved being able to study just seconds from the beach (and on a good day even on the beach!) and getting to explore the city of Portland, Maine. From being in the gross anatomy lab, to participating in simulated patient encounters, to spending time visiting local nursing homes to practice taking patient histories, my days are full of exciting learning experiences.
What I love about osteopathic medicine is the integration of what we think of as “traditional” medicine with the osteopathic philosophy of the mind, body, and soul being a unit. When a patient comes in with a chief complaint, we are taught to think about how to treat the root of the problem rather than just the symptoms. We also learn Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM), which is a hands-on approach to diagnosing and treating somatic dysfunctions to improve a patient’s structural and physiological health.
In my free time, I have been volunteering at the local elementary schools as a mentor to a third-grade student and as a teacher for the Mini Medical School Program where I lead monthly lessons on different body systems in a third-grade classroom. Some of my time has also been spent working on research at the Maine Health Institute of Research, where we are assessing the possible adverse effects of Canagliflozin, a drug for type II diabetes, on bone health in a mouse-model. To say the least, school has kept me busy! Thank you again to MVYouth for all of your support over the past several years. You truly have helped to make my dreams possible.
Olivia Jacobs - Hamilton College
My second year living in Seattle has been one of exciting changes. In June, I graduated with my Master of Social Work in Administration and Policy Practice from the University of Washington, which felt like a big end to my 19 consecutive years of education (you can imagine I was feeling ready to be done!). Also in June, I submitted my Masters thesis/passion project on peer respite centers, which are peer-run alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization, and sent the research out for future publication in a research journal. My parents and sister travelled to Seattle to celebrate and visit the stunning Orcas Island, which was a blast. I took the rest of the summer to decompress and take a few adventurous trips to a rural Washington farm, Portland and Chicago. In the fall, I started my first post-grad job as a mental health counselor and care coordinator at a Seattle-area middle school and high school with a majority queer and trans student body. Despite my research and policy focus in school, I am finding that directly supporting youth mental health in a school setting feels fulfilling and natural for me right now. There are certainly very difficult days doing this work within broken systems and a lack of resources, and I'm grateful to have a strong network of support from friends and family to get me through. I am also proud to have come out as non-binary this year. Having the privilege to express my authentic self in a safe and affirming community both at work and in my personal life has meant the world, and I'm dreaming of a future where this is the norm for all. Thank you as always to MVYouth and to my Vineyard roots for providing me with the support and resources to get me here!
Danielle Hopkins - Barnard College
2022 was quite an exciting and challenging year for me. I continued working as a client advocate at the Harris County Public Defender’s office here in Houston, Texas. My work as a client advocate really varies from day to day. One day I will spend three plus hours in the jail visiting clients and getting documents signed, the next I will be with a coworker driving around town as we assist a client transitioning into a substance use treatment program, and other days I never leave my desk as I check emails and make phone calls. What has been challenging about this role is that most of the time clients do not get favorable outcomes in their cases and as a result so many aspects of their lives are impacted. There are some days filled with amazing news of charges being dropped and clients reunited with families, but most end with sentences or heavy parole requirements that make it impossible to move on from their case. Despite these emotional highs and lows I really am so grateful to be in this position and working in this role as it has prepared me well for my future career as a public defender. I also got the opportunity to be a guest on a podcast Public Defenseless where I spoke about my job as an advocate and the Harris County Public Defender's Office. It was my first time on a podcast and it was a really cool experience.
Besides work, a lot of this year I spent on my law school applications. I re-took the LSAT two times and finally finished applying to all my schools by December 1st. I have begun hearing back from a few and so far have been very excited by the news. Just this week I found out I was accepted into NYU School of Law! I am so grateful for the support I received from my mentors, professors, friends and family during this process. And I also am grateful for the support and opportunities MVYouth provided me throughout my four years of undergrad and beyond.
Samantha Hargy - George Washington University
Another year has gone by too quickly! I’m still in Washington, D.C. pursuing my Master’s degree in International Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). I graduate in May and plan on sticking around D.C. to look for a job. I’ve really enjoyed my education at SAIS and the amazing opportunities that Washington, D.C. continues to present. This past semester I interned with Women for Women International in their Development Department. Women for Women works to economically empower women in countries that have experienced conflict, and as part of their four person Development team I was responsible for curating profiles of potential donors and working to get over $15 million in donations distributed to our Programs teams that operate throughout Africa and the Middle East. I learned a lot about how to fundraise for non-profit organizations, and I know that these skills will be beneficial for my job search! My last semester is all lined up, and my classes are focused on migration, energy, and the Latin American region. My interest in climate and migration stems from my island home and the threat that a rising sea level poses on my family and countless others on this island. I hope that researching more about what motivates people to migrate as a result of climate change can benefit the future of this community in the future.
As always, I love seeing how MVYouth grows each year, serving more Island kids with dreams of venturing out into the world. I credit MVYouth for the many amazing years that I’ve spent in Washington, D.C., with hopefully more to come! Wishing everyone a great holiday season with friends and family, and many more adventures in 2023!
Lena Hanschka - Colby College
I began 2022 living and working in the Chamonix Valley in the French Alps. Working as a private chef, I was able to hone my cooking skills, exploring recipes and meals influenced by the French Savoyard style of cooking and practicing my French language skills between the stalls of the farmer’s markets. My free time was spent outside, either backcountry skiing through the magnificent glaciered peaks or trail running through small villages nestled into the mountains. My three months spent in Chamonix taught me a lot and challenged me to push myself out of my comfort zone, whether in the kitchen or in the mountains.
After returning to the U.S., I moved to Nyack, New York, a small town just north of New York City. I spent the summer and fall working first in a restaurant and later getting a job with the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) in Harriman State Park. Working with the AMC was a great introductory job into the non-profit conservation field and gave me greater insight into how organizations, like the AMC, are working to make the outdoors more accessible to all kinds of people, regardless of their prior experience in wilderness areas. Because of the park’s proximity to the city, it attracts a lot of people coming up for a day trip. This provided an interesting opportunity for me to adjust my own perspective in order to create a more inclusive and accessible space for all people.
In December, I finished up my position with the AMC, packed up my things, and drove north to Burlington, Vermont. In January, I will be starting a social work position with Champlain Community Services working one-on-one with individuals living with mental disabilities. I am really looking forward to this new position and the challenges and pleasures it will bring.
Kathleen Dos Santos - Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy
The past few months at Toni&Guy have been life changing. I have been able to grow not only as a person but also as a hairstylist. I’ve been loving being able to express my creativity here, improve my skills that I already have, and being able to learn new techniques. I can service clients at the school, give out hair cuts, and style outs. Soon I’ll be allowed to do color on clients. When I don’t have a client, I’m giving my mannequins a new hairstyle everyday. As a full-time student, some days have been harder than others, but I’ve had the best peers and teachers supporting me and helping me get through it. I love the staff from Toni & Guy, as they have been so helpful in helping me learn new things and improve in the skills that I already had. They’ve shown me what I’ve been doing wrong, taught me how to fix those mistakes and how to avoid making them in the future. They’ve also taught me to see mistakes in other people’s hair and how to fix them.
Since there isn’t a campus at the school, I’ve been living in an apartment. Trying to adapt to city living has been an interesting experience, but I’ve been enjoying learning how to navigate the world on my own. Though I will say that living on my own has been difficult. Not having roommates or my parents around has been very different for me. I’m used to always having people around. Though I have been loving this time to myself, it’s helped me focus and make sure I stay on top of my work. When I can, I go home to Martha’s Vineyard and visit my family and some weekends I work at Maggie’s Salon. I’m very grateful for Maggie and the girls for teaching me a few tips and tricks before I went to school. Most of all I am very thankful for MVYouth for supporting me. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I am now one step closer to achieving my dream.
Marina Pessoni - Cape Cod Community College
My fall semester has been very interesting. I took a total of 5 courses fully online, with no zoom, just due dates. It has been very challenging. This fall semester was my first semester of college ever, and though it didn't follow my plans, I am very happy with my achievements. I am almost done with my prerequisite courses before I get into the Nursing program! I only need three more and then hopefully I will be able to apply and get into the program.
The most hands-on class that I took was Survey of Biology. I don't know how I've done it, but I've managed to run labs at my own house with materials provided by my college. I would've never imagined that that was possible. I've made friends to the point where I've done study sessions online, which I thought would be impractical.
My main goal now is to move off island for next semester, to be able to attend classes in-person during the spring semester. I need the in-person interactions! Taking five courses fully online was the most demanding time of my life so far, but with the support of my family and my professors, I made it! I've had unexpected connections with my professors - they have been so understanding and actively present. Cape Cod Community College was able to make me feel welcomed with their student engagement even though I am an at-home student.
I can't express how grateful I am for MVYouth and the help they have provided me to start this new phase in my life. It was a bummer not having the MVYouth summer party because I was so looking forward to meeting everyone. Hopefully we will all see each other soon! I am so excited for the future steps I will be taking as a nursing student, which are only possible because of MVYouth. I'm ready to keep going!
Lucas Da Silva - Cape Cod Community College
Hello, my name is Lucas Eduardo da Silva, I'm Brazilian and I'm 19 years old. I graduated from high school and today thanks to this program, and thanks to God, I have a great opportunity to be studying electricity. I am also working in the same area where I study. During the fall I was studying in the course, run by excellent professionals, who take us to live the experience and demonstrate importance and concern for our learning, and the respect that exists within the field. This course is very applauded because we are like brothers and sisters sharing the same desire and intensity to learn. It is important to remember that yes, studies are tiring, but I speak with authority that it is the tiring studies that will take you to more challenging levels and with bigger rewards, and nowadays I can see how beneficial studying and mainly doing what I love has been for me. So thank you very much for believing in my path and thank you very much MVYouth for all your support in this important moment for my future, and that you continue to help other people like me so that they don't give up on their future.
Jonathan Norton - Connecticut College
Going into the fall semester, I was initially worried about how it would go. I was leaving a support system of friends, family, teachers, and peers that I had spent my entire life building for a town on the coast of Connecticut. However, having spent time in such a supportive community with outstanding professors and an enthusiastic administration, my early decision commitment to Connecticut College was the best choice I could have made. The classes brought forth a new challenge of independence compared to high school, and I am proud of what I have accomplished in the classroom. One class that I am particularly proud of is Foundations of Education. In this class, I learned about the different issues that happened in the past, some of which continue to arise today. Taking this class fortified my want to go into education in some capacity.
Along with academics, I have been able to be a member of the cross country and track teams. The team welcomed me immediately and helped me understand the hard-working and tight-knit community fostered at the institution. I became the only first-year in the top seven runners within the first few meets. Throughout the season, we worked together to qualify for the NCAA division three championship for the second time in school history. Based on results at the regional meet, I was also named All-Region (top 35) and have the potential to be an Academic All-American. Being able to compete at the highest level as a first year is an experience that I will never forget. The experiences I have had so far would not have been possible without the generosity of MVYouth, and I am grateful for the opportunity provided to continue these experiences while continuing my studies.
Crystal Zheng - University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
I can't believe the fall semester is over already! Time does go by very fast! The first semester at UMASS Dartmouth has been exciting for me. It was the first time I had been away from home alone for a long time. However, I can’t wait for the opportunity and experience that awaited me. I started off my school year volunteering at Mass Audubon's Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary with some friends. It feels nice to explore outside the campus and they taught us all the animals and birds that live around here. It was challenging to adapt to college life but I have learned how to manage my time according to and complete assignments on time. There are some exciting courses I truly enjoy. For instance the Anatomy and Physiology course! Even though that class is tough but I have tried my best and used all the resources the campus provides to help me to study. I was fascinated by all the structures of the body and their function. So far in that class, we have learned about the nervous system, skeleton, types of tissues, and many more! This semester I also took Psychology, Math, English, and Nursing classes!
Lucas Goncalves - Gordon College
My first semester at Gordon college started right off the bat with a challenge: pre-season soccer tryouts. I was one of three walk-on players that were fighting for a spot on the Gordon men’s soccer team; we hungrily desired to be a fighting scott. I didn’t come in the best shape so every day of pre-season was a physical and mental battle. My legs ached, my shins bruised, and my calves cramped, but I persisted onward attacking every practice with all my might. In the end I was the only walk-on player that was gifted the opportunity to join the team, my efforts were rewarded. As the season progressed I gained confidence and ended up starting in our quarter final playoff game. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to put one in the net this season, however next season will be a different story.
One thing I love about the Gordon soccer team is that we are truly brothers. A family of 20+ people. Having my teammates has made it easier to make friends and I know that if I ever need anything they have my back. One thing I look forward to next semester is meeting new people and joining the school chapel choir where I can develop my guitar playing. I’m also considering taking some classes in business and music.
I am currently studying kinesiology - the study of human movement and it has been a challenging and very interesting course. Next semester I will be taking anatomy and physiology and I will start to examine the body at a closer level, looking at bones, and muscles. I am forever grateful for MVYouth and this one of a kind opportunity, I can’t wait for the second semester!
Alison Custer - Connecticut College
My first semester at Connecticut College has been an incredible experience. These first few months came with many exciting opportunities and moments. I remember Connecticut College truly starting to feel like home after taking my first class in the Dance Department and being introduced to students and professors. Welcome Weekend was busy and exhausting, but I felt inspired again after taking this class and meeting people at the senior/first year dance major brunch. These were some of the moments when I felt things beginning to click. I felt embraced by the community, and it meant so much. In our first two auditions (for Dance Club pieces and the Department Concert), I was nervous, but reminded myself how grateful I was to be there, and to simply give it my all. The audition for guest artist Jennifer Archibald’s piece was intense, but I was lucky enough to be cast in her piece along with other students who I am so inspired by. Getting to work with Archibald (learning and growing in those rehearsals) was an unforgettable experience I do not take for granted. I already have immense love for the dance program and the people in it.
My courses this semester were titled “Thriving in the Anthropocene” (my first year seminar), Introduction to U.S. Government and Politics, Movement Techniques II, and Elementary Spanish. I joined the Dance Club, Students Demand Action Conn Coll, and Amnesty International. I’ve also spent time in Sprout (our campus garden), and volunteered with friends at a local food pantry in New London. I’ve met so many wonderful people, some of my closest friends, and have already learned so much. I cannot thank MVYouth enough for the opportunity that they have given me to grow and thrive, and one day give back to the island community. I am incredibly grateful.
Zach Utz - Middlebury College
As my first semester at Middlebury comes to a close, I now reflect back on it as an amazing one full of connection and discovery. I chose Middlebury because its broad range of liberal arts studies, a benefit that I certainly took advantage of in my first three and a half months. I was introduced to the world of comparative literature through the study of folk and fairy tales in my first-year seminar, learned about the Ottoman Empire and the modern Middle East in my history class, analyzed and discussed theories of good in my philosophy class, and continued my studies in French. Each class challenged my understanding of the world and broadened my knowledge across their topics all while acclimating me to the increased workload of college courses.
In addition to my studies, I am on the cross country and track teams here at Midd. I arrived at school early this semester to practice with the team before our first meet and spent time with them outside of practice exploring the areas around campus. It was truly special showing up to campus and immediately having forty friends, all extremely driven and passionate individuals. They’ve all had such an impact on me already and I cannot wait to spend the next four years with them.
Another benefit of being in Vermont is its captivating nature with lush mountains, waterfalls, swimming holes, and trails. One of my favorite trips was when we hiked up to see the sunset at one of the waterfalls, equipped with a beautiful vista of the Adirondacks. Although all the foliage is gone and there’s snow on the ground now, I’m looking forward to ski season during the second semester! The opportunities that attending college has already granted me are boundless. I am incredibly grateful for the support MVYouth has given me this past semester!
Ruairi Mullin - Brown University
My first semester at Brown exceeded all of my expectations. I have found my time there to be incredibly enjoyable so far. My college workload was a serious step up from that of MVRHS. Courses in international relations, economics, business, and a seminar in philosophy challenged me to think and work in new ways. I found myself doing much more reading and writing than I ever had before and was forced to hone these skills. The classes I selected for my first semester kept me on track to major in political science. I am glad I do not have to declare a major until later in my college career and hope to continue exploring different courses and fields. The school work has sometimes been difficult to get through, but it is made much easier by the supportive and motivated community of students that surround me. Everyone I have met has been incredibly kind and academically driven. Brown has so far felt pretty small, making the transition from the Vineyard to college much easier. It has been easy to find people I enjoy being around and communities that I can be a part of. Providence is also perfect for me in where I want to be at school. Brown is separated from the city with its distinct campus, but with downtown just a ten minute walk away. The city is awesome and I have enjoyed exploring areas like Federal Hill and Fox Point. Providence is close enough to home that I have been able to come back on a long weekend when I’ve wanted to. I cannot wait to continue my education next semester and to continue exploring everything my school has to offer. I am incredibly grateful for the continued support of MVYouth in helping me advance my education and I am excited for the future and making the most of this opportunity.