I guess you could say that I feel an intense call to public service due to my father. You see, my father is my hero. He passed away in 2021 from Covid 19. He was active in our local Fire Departments since I was 5 years old, eventually making the rank to Chief. I remember going to the hall as a young child, and observing everything my father did. I watched him diligently and precisely perform many tasks. I was always intrigued by the way he was always willing to risk his life for others, along with his dedication to his community, and fire family. I remember a time when he pulled a man from a burning house, and he received our County FireFighter of the year award. My father was always humble about his work, and always said that this was an amazing way to help others. I guess you could say my call to Public Service is " in my blood." I have been an active Junior Firefighter with the Falconer Volunteer Fire Department, since I was 14 years old. I am now working among the same volunteers as my father, once did, and have learned so much. Ate the age of 16 I obtained my NYS BEFO w/ Hazmat certification. Most recently at the age of 17, I obtained my NYS EMT-B certification. I plan to pursue my passion and calling for the Fire/EMS service by seeking a college degree in Fire Prevention, and eventually becoming a professional firefighter. I am currently enrolled at Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY. This scholarship would help immensely with my college education. My mom works full time and is the sole income for my younger sister and I. I do plan to work when I go to college, but I also understand that college will be my main focus. This scholarship would help relieve some of the financial burden from my mother and I. It would also allow me to focus more on my studies, and allow me to continue to volunteer my free time with a volunteer agency near my college.

The spirit of giving, community service, and compassion have affected my life personally in many ways. I’ve been an active member with our local fire department since the age of 14. This has allowed me to interact on many levels with our community and fellow department members. I’ve been involved in numerous fire department community events such as; Firefighter Recruitment days, ambulance standbys at local sporting events, community festivals/carnivals, and our annual fire department fundraising events. This volunteering opportunity has not only allowed me to give back to my community, but has also allowed me to foster personal relationships with community members. While in my senior year in high school I was able to complete and obtain my NYS EMT-B Certification and NYS BEFO w/ HAZMAT certification. I completed these courses in addition to my required high school courses and additional college courses. These course completions have allowed me to further assist my community by being able to respond to EMS calls and fire scenes. I am able to provide basic life support to patients as well as scene support on an active fire scene. All of these experiences have allowed me to have personal interactions with fellow community members, and get to know them on a more personal level. I am also currently enrolled at Monroe Community College, in Rochester NY. I plan to graduate in May 2026 with an Associates degree in Fire Protection and pursue a career as a paid FF/ EMT-B. Recently I was the providing EMT-B on a medical call. Without going into complete detail, I can tell you that the living conditions and medical conditions of the patient were poor. These are things that no person should have to experience. About one week after the call I was picking my sister up from her job around 10:30pm. We decided to go to our local McDonald’s for a late night snack. While driving through out town I observed the husband of the above patient, sitting on a bench in our local town all alone. He appeared sad and in dismay. I immediately recognized him from the previous call and pulled the car over. I asked if he remembered me from that day; and he replied with a “yes.” I proceeded to ask him how his wife was doing health wise and how they were both doing in general. He stated that his wife’s health had improved, but now they were being evicted from their home, and that he was hungry. My heart immediately sank with sadness. But I realized that there was one thing that I could do that didn’t require much of anything. I asked him to stay where he was, and I would be back with food. My sister and I purchased a meal for him and returned. We gave him the meal, talked with him for a bit longer, as well as prayed with him. He thanked us and stated that he was grateful for what we had done. You see, we may not be able to solve everyone’s problems all the time or the outcomes in every situation we encounter. However these simple acts of kindness, compassion, and community volunteering can leave a long lasting effect in the heart of not only yourself, but others. It is within these moments that I truly am able to see the impact I make daily in our community as well as the lives of others. I am able to incorporate not only my acts of service but also compassion. These things to me are truly the spirit of giving, compassion and community service.

The spirit of giving, community service, and compassion have affected my life personally in many ways. I’ve been an active member with our local fire department since the age of 14. This has allowed me to interact on many levels with our community and fellow department members. I’ve been involved in numerous fire department community events such as; Firefighter Recruitment days, standing by with our ambulance at local sporting events, community festivals and carnivals, and our annual fire department fundraising events. This volunteering opportunity has not only allowed me to give back to my community, but has also allowed me to foster personal relationships with community members. It has also shown me that one person can truly make a difference. While in my senior year in high school I was able to complete and obtain my NYS EMT-B Certification and NYS BEFO w/ HAZMAT certification. I completed these courses in addition to my required high school courses and additional college courses. Completing these courses has allowed me to further assist my community by being able to respond to EMS calls and fire scenes. I am able to provide basic life support to patients and well as scene support on an active fire scene. All of these experiences have allowed me to have personal interactions with fellow community members, and get to know them on a more personal level. Recently I was the providing EMT-B on a medical call. Without going into complete detail, I can tell you that the living conditions as well as the medical conditions of the patient were poor. This is something that no one should have to experience. About 1 week after the call I was picking my sister up from her job around 10:30pm. We decided to go to our local McDonald’s for a late night snack. I observed the husband of the above patient, sitting on a bench in our local town all alone. He appeared sad and in dismay. I immediately recognized him from the previous call and approached him. I asked if he remembered me from that day; and he replied with a “yes.” I proceeded to ask him how his wife was doing since her hospital discharge, and how they were both doing in general. He stated that his wife was doing better, but now they were being evicted from their home, and that he was hungry. My heart immediately sank with sadness. I suddenly realized that there was one thing that I could do that didn’t require much of anything. I asked him to stay where he was, and that I would be back with food. My sister and I set out on our way to purchase him a meal and then returned. Upon our return we gave him the meal, talked with him for a bit longer, as well as prayed with him. He thanked us and stated that he was grateful for what we had done. You see, we may not be able to solve everyone’s problems all the time or the outcomes in every situation we encounter. However these simple acts of kindness, compassion, and community volunteering can leave a long lasting effect in the heart of not only yourself, but others. It is within these moments that I truly am able to see the impact I make daily in our community as well as the lives of others. I am able to incorporate not only my acts of service but also compassion. These things to me are truly the spirit of giving, compassion and community service.

At a young age, I realized that my ability to learn was not as easy as everyone else. I often wondered why I couldn't remember things as easily, and why I found myself studying way more than others had to. After undergoing many tests, I was diagnosed with a memory recall disorder at the age of 9. I was beside myself. I wondered if school would ever get any easier for me, and if I would ever reach my long term goals. My school quickly put together a formal 504 plan. I was given many resources to help in school, but I quickly realized I couldn't just rely on those, I had to find my own coping skills. I found new ways of studying for exams, and often was studying for several hours a night even on the weekends. I taught myself how to make my own study guides and quizlets, which also helped tremendously. I turned a disability into an adaptability. I have been on the Honor Roll since middle school, I am a member of National Jr Honor Society, and also my HS National Honor society. My current GPA is a 4.0, and I am taking college courses in my current senior year of High School. I also completed NYS BEFO at the age of 16, and I am currently enrolled in the NYS EMT-B program. Instead of feeling hopeless and giving up, I pushed harder and have succeeded far more than I could ever have imagined. I feel an intense call to public service due to my father. You see, my father is my hero. He passed away in 2021 from Covid 19. He was active in our local Fire Departments since I was 5 years old, eventually making the rank to Chief. I remember going to the hall as a young child, and observing everything my father did. I watched him perform truck checks and inspections, roll hose lines, perform drills, and well.. the list is endless. I would listen to his pager go off and the scanner and when he would return from a call we would talk about it. I was so intrigued on how much he was always willing to risk his life for others, along with his dedication to his fire family. I remember him pulling a man from a burning house, and he received our County FireFighter of the year award. My father was always humble about his work, and always said that this was an amazing way to help others. I guess you could say my call to Public Service is " in my blood." I have been an active Junior Firefighter with the Falconer Volunteer Fire Department, since I was 14 years old. I am now working among the same volunteers as my father, once did, and have learned so much. I plan to continue my passion for the Fire/EMS service by seeking a college degree in Fire Prevention, and eventually becoming a professional firefighter.