This fall and winter has been very different from what this time usually means for me. This time used to mean the beginning of another school year and another step to finishing the school chapter of my life. But this fall has been completely different. Instead of packing up and retreating back to school for the cold months I have decided to stay and work most of this winter in hopes to save some money and prepare to take a trip or move somewhere else in the near future. Though watching all my friends head back to school was sad, it is nice to slow down and get into more of a routine. I have been working at Tabor Tree on the island and enjoying it very much. I get to put my degree to work everyday and continue to hone my skills as an arborist. Everyday invites new challenges and excitement which makes it exciting to go to work everyday. The island can get very quiet in the off season so finding things to do has been very helpful in making the time pass. I play hockey at least twice a week which is very fun and the men's leagues on the island are competitive and some of my favorite parts of the week. I have also been playing disc golf which is a new hobby I have found and am very intrigued with it. The course on the island is also very nice and I enjoy walking through the forest and observing all the trees and habitat around me. I would like to thank MVYouth for making all this possible. I wouldn't have been able to make this much progress in education and my career without them and I am eternally grateful for what they have done for me and all the other scholarship recipients throughout the years.
Jackson Pizzano - UMass, Stockbridge
This semester at UMass was very bitter sweet. I knew graduation was coming the whole time and was excited for it but I wasn't totally ready for my college career to end. As the semester wound down I slowly became more okay with the idea of being a graduate, and now I am very happy and proud of myself for completing school and getting my diploma. During my last semester I tried to use all the things offered to students while I still could. I went to a lot of hockey and basketball games, played disc golf on the campus disc golf course, and went to a couple student run comedy shows. Though it's over now I'm happy I used all the things UMass offers while I still could. Now I can now focus on using my diploma to get a job and explore the world more than I have ever been able to prior to graduation. This winter I hope to work on the island and set myself up so I can do some traveling and exploration once the summer ends. Though my college days are over I hope to keep learning about trees and arboriculture and become a certified arborist. This would be extremely helpful when looking for a job or trying to go out on my own as it shows I have applicable knowledge to help a customer deal with their trees. This certification also helps you learn how to work safer and smarter which is important when using very dangerous tools on a daily basis. I also plan to make a lot of ski trips this winter as it's a good way to get off the island for a few days and I really enjoy skiing. I really would like to ski out west this winter as their snow has been much better than New England's this year. I would like to thank MVYouth and all the donors who made my college career possible and helped me all the way through to my graduation. I am beyond grateful and hope one day I can help the community as much as they do.
Jackson Pizzano - UMASS, Stockbridge
This past semester at Umass Amherst, Stockbridge was very similar to last year but also very different. Instead of participating in all online classes, I was able to attend a full schedule of in person classes. This was very exciting as well as daunting, I hadn't been in a real classroom in over a year and wondered if I could make the transition back. I ended up having my best semester at school yet. I was relieved to be able to talk to my professors in person and be able to sit next to like minded kids in my major. Using all the buildings and resources at Umass was a big difference from last year as well, most of them were locked up due to Covid last semester. I also joined back on the hockey team I was playing for last year and it once again was an exciting thing to look forward to throughout the week, and helped me get through some of the tougher weeks at school. My favorite class this semester ended up being my turfgrass management class, it was very informative and made me think differently about large outdoor areas occupied by grass. I think it will end up playing a large role in my future as it's another large part of the green industry. All in all this year was vastly different from last year and made me a lot more excited about my major and school I decided to attend. Though my career at Stockbridge is short, I'm definitely happy I pursued a higher education to help prepare me for my future. I’d like to thank all the donors who made these last two years possible. Without you I wouldn't be where I am today and I'm eternally grateful for that, thank you.
Jackson Pizzano - UMASS, Stockbridge
This past semester at UMass Amherst, Stockbridge was very different than I expected my first semester of college to go. I stayed in an off-campus house and attended one in-person class a week. Other than my one in-person class the rest were online. This made for a very challenging semester as I prefer to be in a classroom. My in-person class was one of the best parts of this semester, it was an arboriculture tech class where we climbed trees. Every Friday I would meet my class somewhere on campus and we would pick out trees to climb up. Since UMass did not offer any intermediate spots this semester I found a hockey league to play for in a rink near my house. We played every Sunday and it was a great thing to look forward to every week. Living in a house off-campus was definitely a learning experience. Making good meals for myself everyday and budgeting my time effectively took some time to figure out but I have slowly been able to get better at both. I have reached out to a couple arborists hoping to get an internship over the summer. I have found the field I chose to be more interesting than I thought and I am very excited to get back to classes. I'm very grateful for the opportunity MVYouth has given me and am very thankful for all the support.