JONATHAN NORTON CONNECTICUT COLLEGE

Goingintothefall semester,I wasinitially worriedabout how it wouldgo.I wasleavinga support systemof friends,family,teachers,and peersthat I hadspent my entirelifebuildingfor a townonthecoast of Connecticut However, havingspent timeinsuchasupportive community withoutstandingprofessorsandan enthusiasticadministration,my early decision commitment toConnecticut Collegewasthe best choiceI couldhavemade Theclasses brought forthanew challengeof independence comparedtohighschool,and I amproudof what I haveaccomplishedintheclassroom Oneclass that I amparticularlyproudof isFoundationsof Education Inthisclass,I learnedabout the different issuesthat happened inthepast,some of whichcontinuetoarisetoday.Takingthisclass fortifiedmywant togointoeducationinsome capacity

Alongwithacademics,I havebeenabletobea member of thecrosscountry andtrack teams Theteamwelcomedmeimmediately andhelped meunderstandthehard-workingandtight-knit community fosteredat theinstitution I became theonly first-year inthetopsevenrunners withinthefirst few meets Throughout the season,weworkedtogether toqualifyfor the NCAA divisionthreechampionshipfor the secondtimeinschool history Basedonresultsat theregional meet,I wasalsonamedAll-Region (top35)andhavethepotential tobean AcademicAll-American Beingabletocompete at thehighest level asafirst year isanexperience that I will never forget TheexperiencesI have hadsofar wouldnot havebeenpossiblewithout thegenerosity of MVYouth,andI amgrateful for theopportunityprovidedto continuethese experienceswhilecontinuingmy studies

Marina Pessoni Capecod Community College

Myfall semester hasbeenvery interesting.I took a total of 5 coursesfully online,withnozoom,just duedates It hasbeenvery challenging Thisfall semester wasmy first semester of collegeever,and thoughit didn't follow my plans,I amvery happy withmy achievements I amalmost donewithmy prerequisitecoursesbeforeI get intotheNursing program! I only needthreemoreand thenhopefully I will beabletoapply and get intotheprogram

Themost hands-onclassthat I took wasSurvey of Biology I don't know how I'vedoneit,but I've managedto runlabsat my ownhousewith materialsprovidedby my college I would'venever imaginedthat that waspossible.I'vemadefriends tothepoint whereI'vedonestudysessionsonline, whichI thought would beimpractical

Mymaingoal now istomoveoff islandfor next semester,tobeableto attendclassesin-person duringthespringsemester I needthein-person interactions! Takingfivecoursesfully onlinewas themost demandingtimeof my lifesofar,but with thesupport of my family andmy professors,I made it! I'vehad unexpectedconnectionswithmy professors- they havebeensounderstandingand activelypresent CapeCod Community Collegewas ableto makemefeel welcomedwiththeir student engagement eventhoughI amanat-homestudent.

I can't expresshow grateful I amfor MVYouthand thehelpthey haveprovidedmetostart thisnew phaseinmy life.It wasabummer not havingthe MVYouthsummer party becauseI wasso looking forwardtomeetingeveryone Hopefullywewill all seeeachother soon! I amsoexcitedfor thefuture stepsI will betakingasanursingstudent,whichare only possiblebecauseof MVYouth.I'mready to keepgoing!