I am so grateful to the Morelli family and the Park City Community Foundation for selecting me as a Joseph James Morelli Scholarship recipient. I am deeply honored to have been selected as I strongly relate to Joseph’s learning difficulties. Much like Joseph, I love and excel in math and science. Even though I have struggled with writing, it never affected how I did in math and science. It is one of the few times at school where I feel validated. I felt like my grades in math and science truly matched my intelligence, unlike other subjects. I too, have always loved nature and the environment including hiking with my dogs and skiing. I also love music and have played the bass since 4th grade. Joseph’s science teacher described him as passionate and compassionate. I raise puppies for Canine Companions for Independence and after 18 months am able to give them back to CCI because of selfless compassion and a commitment to making a difference. Joseph sounds like the kind of person who wanted to do his part to make the world a better place. I plan to use the scholarship to purchase assistive technology to facilitate my success at State University of New York for Environmental Science and Forestry as a Paper Engineering major.