Hometown: Brookfield, CT

Major: Occupational Therapy

Estimated Graduation Date: Spring 2028

Being awarded the My Hometown Heroes Scholarship would allow me to attend Quinnipiac University and pursue my dream of becoming an Occupational Therapist without being saddled with overwhelming student loan debt. To put it simply, this scholarship would mean the world to me. Because of my experiences with cancer, I’ve come to cherish the abilities I’ve lost and fought to regain. For years, I required assistance from family, friends, doctors, nurses, and therapists to do things as simple as dressing and bathing. I never had hope that things would get better, they did. Always, no matter the circumstances. While the hindrance of my independence was something I greatly struggled with during the midst of my battle, it has centered my focus on helping others the way I was helped in my past, leading me to the career of Occupational Therapy. The profession focuses on helping people regain abilities they have lost that they once cherished. Being as I was on the patient side of this therapy for over three years, I understand the astounding impact it can have on someone in both physical and mental ways. After meeting with my occupational therapists in the hospital each time I underwent another surgery, I came out of the sessions with a brighter light on the recovery process to come, and a feeling of certainty that all of the work I was about to put in would undoubtedly be worth it. They left my family and I with feelings of hope, readiness for the future, and excitement for the prospect of regaining independence and freedom. That is what I hope to provide for other families, but more importantly, children going through the same things as I did.

After months of researching Occupational Therapy programs, I found Quinnipiac University, the home of the Bobcats. While I applied to 8 colleges in total, Quinnipiac was the one that stood out to me most. It is located in my home state of Connecticut, which is ideal for the times I have to travel to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for check-ups and scans. Quinnipiac University has one of the greatest Occupational Therapy programs I have ever seen. This program enters about 60 students per year, allowing solid friendships to be crafted easily, and offers the option of a combined Bachelor's-Master's degree, meaning students will graduate in 5 ¬Ω years rather than 6. Quinnipiac is among many schools to offer this sort of combined way to earn a degree, but is among one of the most recommended by people looking into Occupational Therapy as a career. Overall, attending Quinnipiac University would be a dream of mine, and one that would become even closer to a reality with the help from this scholarship. Every penny given to me from this scholarship opportunity would go to my tuition for the 5 ¬Ω year program, which I know will provide me with the skills and drive to go on to become the greatest Occupational Therapist I can be.