I have always been an artist. I’m good at math, okay at sports but I always found myself in the art studio in my free time. Glass blowing introduced itself into my life after my mother suggested I help a family friend out in his studio. I had no idea what that meant I would be doing but I was excited to work with a new medium. Unfortunately that plan did not work out and instead the amazing Jason Pergament told me about a glass shop in town and that he happened to be close with the owner Andrew Weill. I visited the shop and immediately was attracted to the environment. I began my internship in the hot summer and got to experience a lot. I started learning about glass as a medium and began to focus on my skills as a cold worker (so I could be useful to Andrew).My creative side was in heaven, I got to work with glass and make beautiful pieces or fix others. Not much has changed to this day. Now I work for Andrew and share my ideas with him on the daily. Everyday I go into the glass shop I am excited as to what I can learn and make. My skills have grown exponentially in customer interactions, commission related things and in general I am more comfortable working with the machines and have confidence in my ideas. I continue to love my job and look forward to see where it can take me in the future. I am surrounded by those who have faith in me and see  the effort I have put into learning about glass and everything you can do with it. I have continued my internship along my last year of high school and hope that I can incorporate school with my job and get myname out in the public as an artist. 

     Ever since I was little I have always dreamed in becoming a Marine and be stationed around the world. When I went to this camp it opened my eyes to what somethings I can expect going to Parris Island this August. One thing is PT early in the morning, another  is drilling a lot, and loads more activities. My favorite time in FLC was repelling off a 80 foot cliff looking out and taking your time to feel the breeze up there and the beautiful sights to be seen, it was priceless. The experience I had at FLC was extraordinary I would recommend anybody who's willing for a good military experience.  

       I started dancing when I was two years old at a small studio in Connecticut. Ever since I first watched ballet movies on our old VCR player, I was enraptured, and knew, even at the age of two, that I wanted to look like the ethereal figures on the screen. Back then, dancing was a way for me to be part of whatever story I wanted to be part of. I could be a mouse in the “Nutcracker,” a flower fairy, or a princess going on a dangerous adventure. After I moved to Vermont at the age of four, I took classes at the local ballet studio in Manchester and private lessons in Peru. But around the age of 10, I realized that to be a ballet dancer was my dream. No longer did I dance just for fun. I danced because I had to. My mom researched ballet schools that would give me more specialized training and we found The School of the Arts in Saratoga. I’ve been dancing there ever since.

I have been to three ballet summer intensives so far: Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive; American Ballet Theater Summer Intensive; and this summer the Boston Ballet pre-professional Summer Dance Program. The Boston Ballet Intensive gave me my first experience with living in a large city, and I really grew in independence. Each student had to keep their own living space in the dorms clean and organized. We had mandatory check in every day. And most importantly, we had to navigate Boston and the subway system and arrive at class warmed up and on time. Students were in charge of their own laundry and buying their own everyday supplies. Doing this taught us punctuality, responsibility, and prepared us for college dorm life.

The second thing I improved on was solidifying and refining my ballet technique and gaining confidence in my dancing. One of the things that was so different about the Boston Ballet Intensive was that the teachers went to each individual student and gave them multiple, personalized, and in depth corrections every class! One of my corrections concerned my grand battement. My teacher explained that battement means to build. She explained that the reason we do grand battement is to help build a base of strength and stability for all the other steps in ballet, especially center work. Another correction was that I shouldn’t doubt myself before doing a step. If I am supposed to do 2 turns, I will do 2 turns. If I’m going to do an attitude turn, I will do an attitude turn. My teacher told me that sometimes the only thing holding us back is our minds. After completing the intensive, it’s as though my entire mindset has changed. I now understand that if I believe I can do something, I will. This has not only helped me grow as a dancer, but as a person. Also, good is the new bad. You must strive towards perfection.

I learned a vast amount when I was in Boston in terms of ballet, but I also had a lot of first experiences. The first week there, my roommate and I took a leap of faith, no ballet pun intended, and tried to find our way to Mike’s pastry shop. We had only been taught how to go from the dorm to the studio on the subway. But with a map, and some help from our phones, we managed to make it to the shop. It turns out that the area Mike’s pastry was in was like a little version of Italy. Every corner had some sort of new Italian food, and there were people dressed up with huge chef hats holding long Italian bread. The store was packed with people, but once we made it to the front counter, we saw that two of the four walls were completely lined with huge glass cases, filled with whatever desserts you could imagine. Huge cheesecakes with raspberry sauce, Tiramisu, Boston cream pies, and at least 30 different types of cannolis. I got a gigantic cookies-and-cream cannoli that was about the length of my hand plus another half. It was like biting into a delectably sweet cloud.  Also, I’d never been to a Red Sox game, or any baseball game for that matter. As part of the experience, Boston Ballet sets up excursions on the weekend for the dancers and one was to a Red Sox vs. Blue Jays game. I had an absolutely fantastic time, though I did get a little sunburned. I got to eat Cracker Jacks, have popcorn out of a huge plastic Red Sox hat, and eat a lot of Italian ice (since it was so hot outside and that was the coldest thing they were serving). The highlight of the baseball game was that a camera man came over to us around halfway through the game, “us” being the group of 80 or so ballet dancers, asked us to start dancing, and then started filming us! I looked up at the Megatron and there we were! And then, maybe my favorite excursion of all was going to SPAC, right in Saratoga where I dance! We watched “Romeo and Juliet,” performed by the New York City Ballet. I couldn’t believe how amazing the entire show was, but my favorite, though saddest scene was the last scene when Romeo and Juliet find each other in the tomb. There was one part where Romeo tried to dance with Juliet’s lifeless body that moved me to tears. Even from far away while sitting in the seats, you could see the anguish and grief that Romeo felt and it was heartbreaking. I had so much fun just walking around Boston, taking the subway, eating at fun restaurants (one was called the Friendly Toast), and just hanging out with friends. My Boston trip wouldn’t have been the same without all the adventuring I did.

I am so grateful to the Brown family because without the Brown Family Grant, I wouldn’t have been able to go to Boston for this intensive, and I wouldn’t have been able to experience so many of the things Boston had to offer, outside of dance! With the help of the Brown family, I was able to work towards my dream of becoming a professional dancer. I learned responsibility and organization. I gained strength and flexibility, made lifelong friendships, and had a firsthand experience with a pre-professional program. I met so many incredible teachers at the intensive. Each teacher had a unique personality, whether funny, dramatic, fierce, quiet, or outgoing, and I was taught something different by each one. I was able to expand my knowledge of different styles of dance in modern and character class which I had every week as well as making great progress with my fifth position! In all, this summer at the Boston Ballet gave me the opportunity to transform myself, and I am forever grateful to the Brown family for helping me follow my dreams.

I can not be more thankful for this amazing opportunity. This was truly life changing as it guided me in the direction I needed to go in, career wise. I realized that my vision of being a veterinarian was not realistic for me. I have a dream of helping animals but I also have a dream of having a relationship with them. Being a vet will not connect these two things. This camp made me realize that my perfect career is to be a marine animal trainer/behaviorist. This camp was non-stop, we were constantly doing things with the animals, meeting the trainers, rescue team, and vets, as well as getting to ride every ride and see every show in the park. I had many highlights during the week, like cuddling with macaroni penguins, visiting the animals participating in the species survival plan, dissecting squids, wading with the bat rays (feeding them a fish from between my toes - a Sea World trick - was pretty cool too), getting kissed by a walrus, feeding the sea otters, snorkeling with dolphins and sharks, waking up at 5:45 in the morning to prepare the fish to feed every animal in Sea World! And even being the first group to ever meet their two pilot whales, Shadow and Argo. But my favorite part of the week had to be meeting my three best friends, Marina, Julianna, and Brianna. We bonded over many things, one being our love for marine animals. They played a huge part in me finding my passion by encouraging me to try new things and to not be afraid of failing. I understand that Sea World has been under a lot of criticism recently by Peta and other organizations. From being on their team for a week and actually taking care of every animal, I can assure you that the life there is loved and cared for. Sea World is strictly a conservation organization and I couldn't have been more proud to contribute. 

This summer I went to the Tutorial Center for mistakes I made during my sophomore year. All Thought, what I need was completely wrong, I learned and had a great experience. There were times, when I thought I wouldn't make it, but thankfully I came through. What I took out of this experience  was that I am way smarter than I think I am, and with that being said I will continue to push myself. 

I took this course because I wanted to help push my career forward. I am already a junior firefighter and I am looking for going for paramedic as well as being a firefighter. With doing this course it helped keep me on track for how I wanted my career timeline to be. I learned a bunch of new terms and ways to do different ways to help people. 

Taking a course like this was overwhelming and stressful, but I pushed through and started to get more confident with talking louder. I took on a big course load to try and remember, on top of school it was really difficult. I learned a lot about time management in this course because of all the work I had to keep up with. Being the youngest in the class was really nerve racking because I didn't know anyone really and being the shy person I am I didn't want to talk at all. With taking the EMR course I learned a lot about how the EMS system works and new skills I can use on the field. The course book and people are really the ones that helped me understand the content of what was being taught in the class. With having people there that wouldn't give up on me when I was really frustrated trying to figure out the steps to each station was really helpful. The course is one stepping stone in my career path and I plan to keep moving forward in that career path. 

I worked as an assistant to the instructors at the Clay Camp,  The Bookmaking Camp and The Girl's Theater Camp. My job was to greet the campers, help with art projects, to play outside with the campers and to supervise dismissal. I watched the kids and helped them when they needed it.

I gained a lot from this experience. I learned that I want to do something with kids when I am older. I thought a lot more about my future and started to realize that working with kids was something I might want to do because it was fun. I also learned that working with kids is very hard work.

Moving forward I want to do community service at an elementary school. I would recommend trying to work with kids because it is a very interesting experience.

I attended the Governors Institute of Vermont: Winter Weekend on Debate and National Issues. I have been interested in politics for a large portion of my life, and I have always wanted to find an extracurricular to supplement my interests. I found about the GIV and immediately was interested.

The GIV takes place at Goddard College in Northern Vermont and lasts for two days. The majority of your waking time is spent in your group discussing your topic. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and would advise anyone to check it out as the GIV have many topics and great courses.

Over the summer, I attended the Champlain Game Academy at Champlain College in Burlington. It's a camp intended for high school students who want to get a taste of what the video game industry can be like. We explored all aspects of making games, we explored programming as well as art. During the camp we got to explore Champlain College as a whole and we saw what Champlain had to offer when it comes to their game design program.

Over the two weeks I made quite a few friends that I still talk to. There was also a lot of time for me to get outside of my comfort zone and try to actually talk to those who have similar interests and are around my age. I actually helped create two games. I made my first game with one partner and the other with a team of 3 other people. The first game was a simple collection game, where you would go around the level and collect items to beat the game. The first game that everyone made had their own flaws and was used to teach us about the common dilemmas that happen in game design.Some people created games too big and they bit off more than they could chew, some did too little and had to retroactively add things.

The second game I made with 3 other people was the one we spent a week and a half on. "Ball Sumo" was a game that I did 3-D modeling and animation for as well as some quality control. I felt that I contributed a lot to the project (because almost everything you could see in the game was made by me), and I actually have to give my thanks to the lead programmer for going the extra mile during the project, he actually spend time a couple nights before our presentation finalizing all of the code of the game. At the end of the camp, all of our families came to watch us present out games.

Most of the adults had no idea what we were talking about during the presentation, most of the technology they didn't understand and they asked a lot of questions. After the presentation,  we all went to the game labs for our family to try our games. I won't forget this experience or the friends I made as well as the things that I got to see. I wouldn't have been able to attend this camp without the help from the Brown family.

 I was an intern at Manchester Arts Studio during 3 different sessions of camp.  My mentor was Stacy Gates and my job involved supporting her by assisting with art projects, preparing and cleaning up different materials and helping to keep the campers engaged. Each day was divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Some students stayed all day and others left at noon.

The first camp offered pottery in the morning and creating different types of landscapes using a variety of materials in the afternoon. Campers created, frogs, lily pads, flowers  with clay and created landscape collages, drawings and paintings.

The second camp was a Circus Theme in the morning.  The campers painted tents, drew circus animals and other circus related crafts. In the afternoon, the Theme was Red, White and Blue. The campers made patriotic t-shirts and other fun craft activities.

The last camp was Sewing and other textile related crafts in the morning. The campers made their own fabric by drawing a design on special paper which was glued to plain fabric and then painted on. The paper was removed and their design was on the fabric.  They made pillows with their fabric. They also did weaving, created outfits for paper mannequins and created t-shirt with sharpies and alcohol. In the afternoon, the theme was Art in the Garden. The campers drew vegetables, felted butterflies and made wind-chimes .

I enjoyed this internship experience.  It was fun to work with the children. I am grateful for the opportunity.

     On July 2018, I spent one week in CCS’s comic creating workshop. There, I would spend the entire week Learning the intricacies of making a comic.

     On the first day, we all introduce ourselves for their name tags. There were two homeroom teachers, Beth and Luke. Beth gave us a lecture on character design and gave us three prompts to bass a character off of. Then Luke gave us a lecture on environments and told us to create an environment based on character we created. And finally, we made a comic strip based on the characters and environment they inhabit.

     The second day was all about composition and acting. We started the day with a game, we’re each person draws a panel of a comic and passes it along to the next person. For lectures we lured about framing panels, lettering, and using thumbnails. We also lured about gesturing our characters more. For the end project, we penciled a comic page about a skateboarder coming across a waterfall.

     On the third day we worked with some pens along with some coloring. We played a game of fax machine witch was like telephone but with drawing. Next, we Learned how to use net pens and brush pens, using them to ink the skateboard comic we did yesterday. Then, we also learned about color theory and how to apply to comics.

     The fourth day was a big day. For the first part we all developed a world to make a comic out of. Then, we all wrote a comic with each person working on a single page. after that we all went to the screen printing room and printed it. 

     On the fifth and final day, Beth gave us a ted talk about being a cartoonists full-time. After that, we all left with our new found knowledge!

When I was little I fell in love with baking. From baking along side my mom to working on my own when I was 8, I knew that baking was going to be what I wanted to do in my future. As I got older I soon realized that I wanted to have my own bakery someday, and that I would put in the time and effort for me to reach my dream. Before this summer started I found a culinary summer camp that had two intensives, one for students who only wanted to focus on expanding their skills and knowledge in cooking, and those who wanted to do the same but with baking and pastry arts, but it was in NYC and the entire camp lasted a week and that it was expensive. I really wanted to apply but I wasn’t sure if my family was going to afford it at the time, so when I heard of the Brown Family Grant, it gave me hope that I might me able to attend. This camp really opened my eyes to what the culinary business is really about and how it operates, which to me really was helpful in terms of my future goals. Another thing that this camp taught me was the skills and specific techniques to make really anything which will help me throughout my career as a baker. I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to learn from some of the best chefs in America, as well as making new friends and going out of my comfort zone by living in the big city for a week. Overall I am really thankful for this experience and words cannot describe my appreciation and gratitude for being the lucky recipient of the Brown Family Grant.  

My week:

The first day of this week long internship was exguasting and nerve racking. At first we couldn't find the meeting place. It was in the middle of the campus, and there were signs up but since some were taken down, they were inconsistent. After confusing  police officers and riding around campus, like the new people were are, we finally found it. Once we got there my parents insisted on walking me inside, then to my dorm, then to inside my room, and finally to the STUDENTS meeting area. After many photos, we said our goodbyes and I ended up on my own. I settled into my dorm room that split into, what at first was 3 but then ended up being four, bedrooms. After I settled in, I went to the lounge area. Surprisingly a lot of students knew each other already. After a lot of me trying to convince myself not to be an anti-social specimen, I greeted another awkward human being in the conner. Her name is Shreya, she lives in New Hampshire and ended up being a much smarter yet meek individual. She portrayed herself as confident but was one with low self-esteem(in which I was determined to change). After a day of unkown exhaustion and delicious food, you really should eat there one day it's much better than BBA's food(Don't tell them I said that), we went back to our dorms and slept.

The next day worked on getting to know each other. I soon met my "gang" of people I hanged out with. Their names were Shreya(great friend), Amin(very confident), Sophia(much more mature than the rest of us), and Noemi(very adorable but also has their life in order). Together we created the perfect person. They helped me think deeper about the medical field and reason to pursue it. I became more confident in myself and also gained the ability to take risks I wouldn't have before.

The Good Stuff/my experiences at Dartmouth:

Surprisingly we visited the Dartmouth Medical Center a lot. In there we went to the training facilities, where we got to watch and play with simulations that REAL doctors use. We saw the advancement of medical technology, the newest being a baby that can use realistic audio, show physical symptoms, and move/make facial and physical expressions and movements. To simulations that could only make vocal noises and you to be able to hear their heart beat with a stethoscope . We listen to lectures from neurologists, trauma surgeons, Cardiologist, orthopedist, and a Pharmaceutical doctor. Which went into depth of what they do and how they reached the place that they are in. This I found very helpful as it opened my eyes to different fields. 

Later in the week we went to the VA Medical Hospital in Vermont. We met up with the communications director.

I understand that my social life  may not be what you're looking for but this opportunity helped me grow as a person in society 

Over all the Health Careers Institute at Dartmouth College was amazing.

I had this course in my sights because my future goal is to become a nurse. The course was Monday and Wednesdays starting February 21st and went until June 11th. Over the course of the program we learned 22 skills that we would need to know for our state testing, which is in July. 

Here's a list of the skills that I needed to learn: 

1. Hand Hygiene (Hand Washing)
2. Applies one knee-high elastic stockings 
3. Assists to ambulate using transfer belt 
4. Assists with use of bedpan
5. Cleans upper and lower denture
6. Counts and records radial pulse
7. Counts ad records respirations 
8. Donning and removing PPE (Gown and Gloves)
9. Dresses client with affected (weak) right arm 
10. Feeds client who cannot feed self
11. Gives modified bed bath (Face, one arm, and underarm)
12. Measures and records blood pressure 
13. Measures and records urinary output 
14. Measures and records weight of ambulatory client 
15. Performs modified passive range of motion (PROM) for one knee and one ankle 
16. Performs modified passive range of motion (PROM) for one shoulder 
17. Positions one side 
18. Provides catheter care for female 
19. Provides foot care on one foot 
20. Provides mouth care
21. Provides perineal care (peri-care) for female 
22. Transfers from bed to wheelchair using transfer belt

The Brown Grant gave me the opportunity to work in the BBA IT Department over the summer.  There is so much behind the scenes work done at BBA to make sure everything runs smoothly and to make sure the students have no IT worries.  Imagine cleaning and fixing 456 iPads so that they are ready to go the first day of school.  Then there is maintenance to be performed on the classroom computers.  I was also able to go around to the classrooms and set up new computers.  I never knew exactly how much was done to make sure BBA provides a seamless beginning to the school year.  This was a great opportunity to see the behind the scenes happenings at BBA IT and the Brown Grant gave me that opportunity.

I attended the Institute of Oceanography in Seal Harbor, Maine to pursue my love of our oceans and the life within them. I've been interested in this subject ever since I got the Wii game, Endless Ocean: Blue World.  That game opened my eyes to the ocean and the life in it, and I've been attached ever since. I started drawing myself scuba diving and snorkeling. I began to take Marine Biology and Oceanography seriously two years ago when my 8th grade class went to MAU to look at colleges. There, I discovered The University of Rhode Island, and saw that they had a Marine Biology program. I started to lean towards this as a career path and that's what brought me to the Brown Family Grants and AIO. At AIO we were educated more thoroughly on marine chemistry, ecology and conservation. There I learned about salinity, and the element in the ocean waters JuMnJi2 (We also liked to have fun during the lectures). We went out in the field and did on sight labs and research. We went into Bar Harbor on the 4th on July, and snorkeling on the last few days. All in all, this is a great experience for anyone who is also interested in the subject and want to lean more and go more in depth on the subject.

Private Lessons at Williams College

I began playing the cello at the age of nine, and knew that I loved the cello so much that I wanted to go into a career of music someday. This being in mind I knew that I would need to work hard to reach my goals, hopes and dream. I was very fortunate to find incredible teachers, including Judith Serkin, John Koen and Ning Tu. Having adults that encouraged me and helped me to move forward in my learning as a cellist made an impact on my life and how I would choose to continue what I love to do most.

I began training at the Vermont Center for Dance Education in the fall of 2017 and immediately felt at home. Their faculty and students are not just incredibly talented but wonderful people as well. I feel fortunate to be able to train with such lovely people.  In November, three other dancers and I competed in the “Really Big Show,” which is a fundraiser for the Rutland County United Way. This talent show is held at the Paramount Theatre in Rutland every year. The day of the competition, I along with the other girls spent the entire day together. We were able to get to know each other better making us a closer group.

Our unification undoubtedly showed on stage when we performed. It was a shock when the host of the show announced that the Vermont Center for Dance Education had not only won “Best Duo/Group Dance,” but “Best Overall Performance,” as well. We were so dazzled that we won the whole show, that we all started laughing on stage because we were so surprised. The host of the show presented us with a gigantic trophy that went all the way up to my shoulder. Following the performance, we met in the lobby for pictures. With all the flashing lights and the people who came up to us congratulating our accomplishment, it almost felt that we were famous. This experience was exciting for me because I had never competed in a dance competition before. So winning my first competition with such awesome people is a memory that I will cherish.

I love ballet because it can say so many things without words. However, it requires great strength as well. My teachers alwaysll me “ballet dancers are athletes, but they’re artists first.” This statement is so true and many people don’t understand all of the work dancers have to undergo to become a ballet dancer. Dancers are trained to look graceful, to hide the fact that they are fighting gravity and to smile so it seems like the world is a ball of cotton candy.

Really serious ballet students like me spend many hours in dance classes trying to perfect every little detail so that when we go on stage, everything works automatically. Ballet is really hard. It requires discipline and pure devotion trying to perfect an art form that will never be perfect. However, when you get onto the stage and dance, and afterwards standing breathless with the lights blinding you, and when the applause starts, there's not a feeling like it in the entire world. It’s perfect. 

Ever since I was little, I had an affinity with computers.  My habit of accidentally installing less-than-trustworthy software as a kid quickly put that affinity to the test, and I began to learn how to fix various problems on the computer whenever something popped up.  By the time I entered BBA 4 years ago, I knew that I wanted to learn even more about computers.

So, I set to work taking as many computer-related classes as I could cram into my schedule.  In the meantime, I continued to experiment at home with hardware and software.  I would help my grandparents, sister, and mom whenever they encountered a tech problem that they couldn't figure out how to solve.  When I graduated BBA last spring, I had already decided to take a gap year, hopefully to get some more experience in the world of technology and have some more money tucked away.

The Brown Grant allowed me to combine those two goals into one.  BBA was able to bring me on as an intern with the Tech Department.  My primary role over the summer was to set up tech for the upcoming school year.  This included installing updated operating systems onto machines, helping move and install new devices into rooms around campus, and going through the process of testing and resetting iPads and Keyboards to ensure that they were ready for redistribution in the fall.  When Success Camp students got their iPads, I was one of the people who prepped them for pickup, and was there to assist when they needed help logging into their various accounts.  In the weeks leading up to the beginning of school, I continued setup and assistance for the rest of the school.

After a successful summer of work, the tech department asked to extend my internship, so I will continue to assist students with their issues and distribute iPads into the school year.

This experience has helped me build my interpersonal skills, as I learned how to patiently assist people who know less about computers than me with their problems and learned more about collaborating with the rest of the IT Team.  I also gained more skills in troubleshooting than I previously had.  The experience has helped me know for certain that this kind of job is something that I may want pursue after college.

With my Brown Grant funds, I was originally going to go to Colorado to tour colleges. As the year progressed however, this changed and I instead went to Washington DC to tour both American University and Georgetown. For a long time I have been interested in politics and recently this interest has evolved into an interest in the foreign relations side of politics. Both of the schools that I toured while I was down in that area are some of the best schools in the country for what I am interested in, and the experience was invaluable. I learned so much on the tours and information sessions about what I need to do in order to achieve my career goals. While Georgetown was not really for me, American definitely was. I fell in love with the campus and seeing the buildings where I will hopefully one day learn and start my future filled me a feeling of such joy. The people who I met at the school were so down to earth, but at the same time were motivated and knew what they wanted to achieve. I like to think of myself in this way, and it was awesome to find a school with so many people who I felt were similar to me.

On top of finding a school that I loved, I also fell in love with the area. I had been to DC once before but it was on a school trip so there was not a ton of opportunity to explore. I liked it then, and with more time to explore, I loved it this time. The buildings, community, surrounding area, people, and most importantly the food were all incredible. This experience will have forever changed my life.