Meet the 2023 Scholars

"Write a letter to your younger self during a key moment in your life addressing one or more of the following: words of encouragement, lessons you have learned and/or challenges you have overcome."

Dear Taylor, Middle school has been very tough on you. Sports have always been your escape, and recently it has become very difficult to play the sports you have always loved. You are struggling to keep up physically with your teammates. Your team of doctors has noticed how taxing playing lacrosse and hockey have been on your health and are encouraging you to consider quitting or trying something else. They did not come to this decision lightly, as they know how important sports are to you. They are doing everything they can to keep you healthy. You’ve gone through trials and different medications. Nothing is working. You now have a tough decision to make, give up playing the sports which you have dedicated countless hours to, or try something new. You knew giving up sports was not an option. Your team needed a goalie and you decided to give it a try. This was a position that would be much easier on your lungs, and you would be helping your team. For some reason, no one else wanted to stand in the way of a solid rubber ball traveling 60 miles per hour. You don’t know this, but making that switch to goalie was one of the best decisions you ever made. Your health started to improve and you were now chasing your childhood dream of playing sports in college. You worked tirelessly to perfect the art of being a goalie. Not only does goalie require fierce athleticism, it is also necessary to have mental strength. It will take you years to understand that you will not save every ball, and that is okay. You will have to work on your confidence and ability to not dwell on past goals. Your hard work pays off and you accept an offer to play Division 1 lacrosse at Kent State University. Again, this was one of the best decisions you have made. At Kent State, you will meet some of the most amazing people. You will follow your dreams of getting into nursing school, and you will thrive. You will not let your illness define who you are or what you can do. You will become a division 1 athlete in the honors nursing program. All of this will be achieved because you decided to fight. You did not give up on your dreams when outcomes were poor. When times get tough, you find another way. This mindset will set you up for great success in your future. Your drive to chase your dreams, catch them, and then surpass them is something that I hope you never lose. For now, I need you to know everything will be okay. Trust yourself and lean into the process, you have an amazing support system that will help you with these tough decisions. Love, Your future self