EDITOR’S NOTE: Hadley resident Thomas Rudel wrote the following as part of an application for financial aid at Greenfield Community College.
I had a rough time as a teen. My mother became a heroin addict when I was 12 and my foster parents weren’t the greatest, as a result of it all I resented everything, especially school – I had a 0.9 GPA.
The day I turned 18 I had to support myself and was forced to drop out of high school two months before graduation. Since then I’ve moved over 10 times, struggling to maintain any sort of financial stability while working in demolition, waiting tables and any other gig I could land to pay the bills.
Over these years I gained a better understanding of the world around me and my personal strengths. I wanted to find a way that I could use my skills to contribute to the real world. I had taken an EMT course before moving to western Massachusetts where I planned to save money and move back west.
A few months later, while hitting a 60-foot ski jump, I fell and herniated multiple discs in my lumbar. The injury has left me unable to continue working demolition or as a skiing coach, let alone a job where someone’s life depends on me lifting their body weight. I had assumed that I could never afford college and after my accident it’s been harder just to support myself on the day to day, but through the great generosity of the donors of GCC I financed my first year.
I’m now a mechanical engineering student in his second semester, making the dean’s list with a 3.78 GPA. It’s too early in my education to focus on specific fields, though I’ve begun to take interest in mechatronics, aerospace, robotics and renewable energy.
After finishing my associate’s degree next spring, I will likely obtain my bachelor’s at UMass. My hope is to work as an intern for NASA this summer, but I’ve also applied for research opportunities at universities and companies across the country.
Trying to balance school full time while still working enough to pay rent, buy gas to commute to school and have other living expenses is the hardest challenge of my life.
I’m applying for a scholarship because I’m in desperate need of financial assistance. This year I was only taking 12 and 13 credit semesters, next year will be much tougher as I pile on 16-20 credits each semester.
I’ll have more credits to pay for and less time to work. Though I struggled in the past, I am now on a path to be able to make my life goals a reality. I know I will continue to excel in my studies as long as I can afford them, the only hurdle is time and money.
Thomas Rudel lives in Hadley.
