My head was spinning, my foot was bleeding, and my lungs were attempting to inhale deep breaths at uncontrollable spreads. The air filled with shouts of “WHAT’S GOING ON!?” and “SOMEONE, CALL AN AMBULANCE!” To my left, my brother's eyes widened with fear as he gripped onto my sobbing mother who tried to say, “It will all be okay soon.” To my right, four men attempted to lift a 14,000-pound trailer from my 12-inch foot. I had one job at that moment: fight. A quarter past midnight; still no sirens to be heard. Each of the four men counted to three and attempted to lift this monstrosity... no luck. With every second that passed, my eyes clenched tighter and tighter. I wanted to cry, but my body told me I had to focus. One of the men began having some success relieving the pressure, then, two seconds later, the weight plummeted onto the same area of my foot. I fainted. Over forty-five minutes, twelve individuals with three car jacks were able to save my foot from complete amputation. Then, the concept of being disabled began to consume my mind. My life can not be taken away at the age of sixteen… Can it? I stared down and imagined seeing a leg with no foot attached. I blinked, instead of the bloody warzone I call my driveway, nothing but doctors and nurses flooded the hospital room. My eyes shuffled between each doctor who spoke. I emerged enflamed listening to every word they shouted across the room. One tragic accident was not going to hold me back. Then, they said a phrase I will remember for the rest of my life. “Unfortunately, nothing is working. With your permission, we would like to begin amputating the left half of your foot. Is that ok with you?” I felt my mother's hand reach onto my shoulder, “It’s up to you.” I was speechless. This was not the choice between Wendy's vs McDonald’s or Dunkin’ vs Starbucks. I understand my parents are there to support me and let me make my own decisions, but this was different. My mother stared at me. Laying there, thinking over my two simple yet complicated options, I knew I had to listen. I had to listen to the fact my body would never be completely the same once I agreed to the doctor’s recommendation. Struggling to sit upright, I stared back. I simply wanted to ask for the answer and get it over with, but instead, I turned to the doctor. “Come up with a plan to amputate as little as possible.” I replayed hearing the words “nothing we can do” and “left half of your foot” for the next hour. Once the doctor walked in, I was all ears. “Jack, we have changed our course of action and will only be amputating your big toe. That is with your consent of course.” Desperate to start feeling relief, I agreed to the surgery on the spot. Six months. I was unable to walk on two feet for six months. Every day I went into school all eyes were cast on me, the crippled kid who rode a knee scooter around the hallway each day. “Scoot-Scoot” soon became my newborn identity. I was the abnormal handicap who ran into everything and everyone. As time went on, I began to gain control. No matter what happened in class, I would turn my head and smile. I felt confident to be the one pushing through the crowd; I was proud to make wheelies in the hallway, and I became optimistic knowing nothing was going to stop me.

I am a passionate entertainer interested in becoming more than just a narrator, a commentator, or a fact-checker. I want my voice to be heard through making media that matters. Media has the ability to evoke emotion, keep an audience captivated, and create change. I see this scholarship acting as a catalyst to start my personal growth beyond my small-town community. I plan on using storytelling skills embedded in Television-Radio coursework to shine a light on local civil issues. My goal will be to produce a television series capturing emotional testimonials on what topics concern residents most. I believe it is important for people to share their experiences, paving a way for change to transpire. During my freshman year, I became extremely passionate about the national anti-gun violence campaign. As a student, I organized a peaceful high school walkout and took charge of publicizing the local movement on all social media platforms. Hundreds of Farmington High School students and parents followed @farmingtonwalkout on Instagram and Facebook to stay informed and contribute their perspectives on the topic of gun violence. I plan on getting involved in similar civil movements, creating a stronger, tight-knit community. I am passionate about becoming a multi-influential community service member because I want to impact the lives of those within my community. All people have a story to tell, and through this scholarship, I can meaningly share community stories with thousands.

I am a passionate entertainer interested in becoming more than just a narrator, a commentator, or a fact-checker. I want my voice to be heard through making media that matters. Media has the ability to evoke emotion, keep an audience captivated, and create change. I see the Park Scholar Program acting as a catalyst to share untold stories within the Ithaca community. As a Park Scholar, I plan on using storytelling skills embedded in Television-Radio coursework to shine a light on local civil issues. My goal will be to produce a television series capturing emotional testimonials on what topics concern Ithaca residents most. I believe it is important for people to share their experiences, paving a way for change to transpire. During my freshman year, I became extremely passionate about the national anti-gun violence campaign. As a student, I organized a peaceful high school walkout and took charge of publicizing the local movement on all social media platforms. Hundreds of Farmington High School students and parents followed @farmingtonwalkout on Instagram and Facebook to stay informed and contribute their perspectives on the topic of gun violence. At Ithaca, I plan on getting involved in similar civil movements, creating a stronger, tight-knit community. I am passionate about becoming a Park Scholar because I want to produce effective media that impacts the lives of those in the Ithaca community. All people have a story to tell, and through this program, I can meaningly share community stories with thousands.

Media has the ability to evoke emotion, keep an audience captivated, and shine a light on issues people encounter day-to-day. As a creator, I use this framework to structure each project I release out into the world for all to see. Currently, I am working on creating my own reality television show, Survival of The Musician. This will showcase student composers who are singer-songwriters or instrumentalist-songwriters on their journey to creating powerful music that strikes their audience. By the end of the show, there will be one musician who is deemed the survivor. Once I finish editing the show together, I plan on marketing it out into my local community for all to see. Previously, I have interned as a social media manager and production assistant. From these experiences, I have found my heart to lie within the media production industry as opposed to a career centered around completing redundant tasks. Media production challenges me in a way that captures my creativity and allows me to provide new insight into the world around me. In the future, I plan on following my dreams and becoming a reality television producer or a station executive. As a highly motivated, compassionate, and detail-oriented individual I reach for the stars and go from there. I count on my passion to guide me in the future and fit in the entertainment industry wherever I best see myself.

My head was spinning, my foot was bleeding, and my lungs were attempting to inhale deep breaths at uncontrollable spreads. The air filled with shouts of “WHAT’S GOING ON!?” and “SOMEONE, CALL AN AMBULANCE!” To my left, my brother's eyes widened with fear as he gripped onto my sobbing mother who tried to say, “It will all be okay soon.” To my right, four men attempted to lift a 14,000-pound trailer from my 12-inch foot. I had one job at that moment: fight. A quarter past midnight; still no sirens to be heard. Each of the four men counted to three and attempted to lift this monstrosity... no luck. With every second that passed, my eyes clenched tighter and tighter. I wanted to cry, but my body told me I had to focus. One of the men began having some success relieving the pressure, then, two seconds later, the weight plummeted onto the same area of my foot. I fainted. Over forty-five minutes, twelve individuals with three car jacks were able to save my foot from complete amputation. Then, the concept of being disabled began to consume my mind. My life can not be taken away at the age of sixteen… Can it? I stared down and imagined seeing a leg with no foot attached. I blinked, instead of the bloody warzone I call my driveway, nothing but doctors and nurses flooded the hospital room. My eyes shuffled between each doctor who spoke. I emerged enflamed listening to every word they shouted across the room. One tragic accident was not going to hold me back. Then, they said a phrase I will remember for the rest of my life. “Unfortunately, nothing is working. With your permission, we would like to begin amputating the left half of your foot. Is that ok with you?” I felt my mother's hand reach onto my shoulder, “It’s up to you.” I was speechless. This was not the choice between Wendy's vs McDonald’s or Dunkin’ vs Starbucks. I understand my parents are there to support me and let me make my own decisions, but this was different. My mother stared at me. Laying there, thinking over my two simple yet complicated options, I knew I had to listen. I had to listen to the fact my body would never be completely the same once I agreed to the doctor’s recommendation. Struggling to sit upright, I stared back. I simply wanted to ask for the answer and get it over with, but instead, I turned to the doctor. “Come up with a plan to amputate as little as possible.” I replayed hearing the words “nothing we can do” and “left half of your foot” for the next hour. Once the doctor walked in, I was all ears. “Jack, we have changed our course of action and will only be amputating your big toe. That is with your consent of course.” Desperate to start feeling relief, I agreed to the surgery on the spot. Six months. I was unable to walk on two feet for six months. Every day I went into school all eyes were cast on me, the crippled kid who rode a knee scooter around the hallway each day. “Scoot-Scoot” soon became my newborn identity. I was the abnormal handicap who ran into everything and everyone. As time went on, I began to gain control. No matter what happened in class, I would turn my head and smile. I felt confident to be the one pushing through the crowd; I was proud to make wheelies in the hallway, and I became optimistic knowing nothing was going to stop me.

Music acts as a coping mechanism I can use to escape whenever I need to escape reality. In my car, I cry to sad songs on my way home from work if I am having "one of those" days. I use music to express myself. No matter what, music will ALWAYS be there for me. Music directly resembles emotion. I am an emotional creature who needs to scream to upbeat tempo songs when I get the lead in my school play. On the flip side, I need to cry to Shallow right before I go under anesthesia before surgery. Music doesn't pay a role in my life. It IS my life.

I am an actor, an entertainer, a creator, a musician, a communicator, a storyteller, but most importantly, an artist. As I enter the professional world, I am proud to say I want to dedicate my life to pursuing my dream. Majoring in Television-Radio will make that dream become a reality. In pursuit of deciding what professional path I want to pursue, I have found joy in the arts of screenwriting and journalism. Through developing characters and reporting on real events, I have become a multidimensional storyteller and can holistically understand how media cycles around what its audience desires. Television and radio can evoke emotion, keep an audience captivated, and shine a light on issues people encounter today. Without emotionally driven TV shows or radio segments, we would live in a dull world with nothing to look forward to after a hard day of school or work. I want to produce content people are desperate to see, feel, and interpret.

I am a passionate entertainer interested in becoming more than just a narrator, a commentator, or a fact-checker. I want my voice to be heard through making media that matters. Media has the ability to evoke emotion, keep an audience captivated, and create change. I see the this grant being able to act as a catalyst for me to share untold stories within the my local community. I plan on using storytelling skills embedded in Television-Radio narration to shine a light on local civil issues. My goal will be to produce a television series capturing emotional testimonials on what topics concern my community most. I believe it is important for people to share their experiences, paving a way for change to transpire. During my freshman year, I became extremely passionate about the national anti-gun violence campaign. As a student, I organized a peaceful high school walkout and took charge of publicizing the local movement on all social media platforms. Hundreds of Farmington High School students and parents followed @farmingtonwalkout on Instagram and Facebook to stay informed and contribute their perspectives on the topic of gun violence. With the help of this grant, I plan on getting involved in similar civil movements, creating a stronger, tight-knit community. I want to produce effective media that impacts the lives of those in my local community. All people have a story to tell, and with the help of this grant, I can meaningly share community stories with thousands.

I am a passionate entertainer interested in becoming more than just a narrator, a commentator, or a fact-checker. I want my voice to be heard through making media that matters. Media has the ability to evoke emotion, keep an audience captivated, and create change. I plan on using storytelling skills within the Television-Radio industry to shine a light on local civil issues. My goal will be to produce a television series capturing emotional testimonials on what topics concern my community most. I believe it is important for people to share their experiences, paving a way for change to transpire. During my freshman year, I became extremely passionate about the national anti-gun violence campaign. As a student, I organized a peaceful high school walkout and took charge of publicizing the local movement on all social media platforms. Hundreds of Farmington High School students and parents followed @farmingtonwalkout on Instagram and Facebook to stay informed and contribute their perspectives on the topic of gun violence. With financial resources, I plan on globalizing similar civil movements, creating a stronger, tight-knit community. I want to produce effective media that impacts the lives of those in my local community. All people have a story to tell, and through this grant, I can meaningly share community stories with thousands.

“Too Cool for School:” A Saying or Reality? I can speak for most high school students around the nation when I say: students miss their classrooms! Sure, it can be said that high school is a dreadful place, but when you take the building away, all that's left is work. Work that kids do not want to do. I have participated as an active member of my school's community in every sense of the word. I am a student ambassador, a member of the principal advisory council, the lead in our school play, starter on the volleyball team, a member of the debate club. A typical day for me lasts between the hours of 7 am to 5:30 pm, all in the same building. A building where I can express myself. A building that spreads drama like wildfire. A building where I make new friends. A building that absorbs all my time. A building I am free to dream. A building I struggle to reach success. A building I am proud to call my second home. A building I wish I could go back to. As a student who was born and raised in Connecticut, I allowed to attend in-person school fourteen days a month. All I can say is, what is there left to do? Study for the SAT? Reclean my room a thousand times? My friends have missed out on playing for a state championship this year. All students were ripped away from having a chance to play spring sports last year. To see my best friend, a high school senior, play volleyball all year round for the past three years, to hear the news it has all been taken away from him. I have no words. No words can describe the way my friend who earned the role of Cinderella, in our high school production of Cinderella, felt when she found out our show had been canceled three days before opening night. I have no words. Still we must prevail, right? As a junior in high school, I sat in my house mind blown. I was forced to ask my teachers for a college letter of recommendation virtually... VIRTUALLY!!! No specific emotion can describe how insane that sounds to me. I am a planner. Sorry COVID-19, you did not send me a calendar invite. Although this has been an abrupt transition, it isn’t all terrible. I have finally been able to catch up with my family, clean my room, and get to explore my new-found interest in painting. I have been able to attend college tours from around the nation, all from the convenience of my bedroom, in my pajamas. It’s a love-hate relationship, but we must find the silver lining! I wake up every day, uncertain what the future holds. Like I said, I'm a planner. At this point in time, I simply can’t plan anymore. I had planned to take the SAT three times within the four month timeframe between March — June. I feel I need to take this test! Sure, most colleges like Boston University, Tulane, Tufts and many more have become test-optional, but, it simply is a game-changer for high school students, like myself, to take this exam. The amount of competition to get into a college or university has grown dramatically and these test scores can truly make all the difference in one’s application. Since I can’t rely on anything anymore, I had to be creative in figuring out a way to ensure the success of my application, giving it that competitive edge. I have: drafted a resume, gone on numerous college tours, participated in one-on-one admissions interviews, and created a blog on Medium.com to show I am being productive. Yes, I know my actions have been excessive. Unfortunately, that is what it takes to “stand out” in the world of admissions today. This is my attempt to take what I have been given and utilize it to the best of my ability. Some students will fall behind, and others will soar. I chose to be an overachiever. Finally, I would like to thank the creators of: Zoom, Google, FaceTime, Instagram, Snapchat, Yubo, Tik Tok, and many many more. These companies have given people around the world the opportunity to connect with my friends, family, teachers, co-workers, college admissions representatives and many more. Trust me, these websites and apps have not gone unnoticed. I have been able to introduce myself, connect to new groups of people, and laugh with my best friends all while at my desk or laying in bed.

Trauma My head was spinning, my foot was bleeding, and my lungs were attempting to inhale deep breaths at uncontrollable spreads. The air filled with shouts of “WHAT’S GOING ON!?” and “SOMEONE, CALL AN AMBULANCE!” To my left, my brother's eyes widened with fear as he gripped onto my sobbing mother who tried to say, “It will all be okay soon.” To my right, four men attempted to lift a 14,000-pound trailer from my 12-inch foot. I had one job at that moment: fight. A quarter past midnight; still no sirens to be heard. Each of the four men counted to three and attempted to lift this monstrosity... no luck. With every second that passed, my eyes clenched tighter and tighter. I wanted to cry, but my body told me I had to focus. One of the men began having some success relieving the pressure, then, two seconds later, the weight plummeted onto the same area of my foot. I fainted. Over forty-five minutes, twelve individuals with three car jacks were able to save my foot from complete amputation. Then, the concept of being disabled began to consume my mind. My life can not be taken away at the age of sixteen… Can it? I stared down and imagined seeing a leg with no foot attached. I blinked, instead of the bloody warzone I call my driveway, nothing but doctors and nurses flooded the hospital room. My eyes shuffled between each doctor who spoke. I emerged enflamed listening to every word they shouted across the room. One tragic accident was not going to hold me back. Then, they said a phrase I will remember for the rest of my life. “Unfortunately, nothing is working. With your permission, we would like to begin amputating the left half of your foot. Is that ok with you?” I felt my mother's hand reach onto my shoulder, “It’s up to you.” I was speechless. This was not the choice between Wendy's vs McDonald’s or Dunkin’ vs Starbucks. I understand my parents are there to support me and let me make my own decisions, but this was different. My mother stared at me. Laying there, thinking over my two simple yet complicated options, I knew I had to listen. I had to listen to the fact my body would never be completely the same once I agreed to the doctor’s recommendation. Struggling to sit upright, I stared back. I simply wanted to ask for the answer and get it over with, but instead, I turned to the doctor. “Come up with a plan to amputate as little as possible.” I replayed hearing the words “nothing we can do” and “left half of your foot” for the next hour. Once the doctor walked in, I was all ears. “Jack, we have changed our course of action and will only be amputating your big toe. That is with your consent of course.” Desperate to start feeling relief, I agreed to the surgery on the spot. Six months. I was unable to walk on two feet for six months. Every day I went into school all eyes were cast on me, the crippled kid who rode a knee scooter around the hallway each day. “Scoot-Scoot” soon became my newborn identity. I was the abnormal handicap who ran into everything and everyone. As time went on, I began to gain control. No matter what happened in class, I would turn my head and smile. I felt confident to be the one pushing through the crowd; I was proud to make wheelies in the hallway, and I became optimistic knowing nothing was going to stop me.

In this image I am posing with my leg out. I had a photographer take this picture of me a year after my big toe had to get amputated because I am stronger. Due to my amputation, I was unable to walk for six months. My rehabilitation journey was a struggle, but I always stayed positive through it. In the second picture, I am pictured as the lead in my school play, Clue.

I titled this playlist: "Rip my heart out of my chest." This playlist contains ballads that pull on your emotions, when mentally you just need to sit back and cry. Life can be challenging, and sometimes you just need a good cry to feel inspired, and make tomorrow become better day.

I am a passionate entertainer interested in becoming more than just a narrator, a commentator, or a fact-checker. I want my voice to be heard through making media that matters. Media has the ability to evoke emotion, keep an audience captivated, and create change. I see the Wheezy Creator Scholarship acting as a catalyst to share untold stories within the my local community. With the financial resources from this scholarship, I plan on using storytelling skills embedded in my television production coursework, at the collegiate level, to shine a light on local civil issues. My goal will be to produce a television series capturing emotional testimonials on what topics concern local residents most. I believe it is important for people to share their experiences, paving a way for change to transpire. During my freshman year of high school, I became extremely passionate about the national anti-gun violence campaign. As a student, I organized a peaceful high school walkout and took charge of publicizing the local movement on all social media platforms. Hundreds of Farmington High School students and parents followed @farmingtonwalkout on Instagram and Facebook to stay informed and contribute their perspectives on the topic of gun violence. With the resources from this scholarship, I plan on producing similar content publicising civil movements, creating a stronger, tight-knit community. I am passionate about becoming a television because I see it as a platform to produce effective media that impacts the lives of those around the world. All people have a story to tell, and with resources governed through this scholarship, I can meaningly share community stories with thousands.