Seize the Opportunity

Nearly 3500 students will descend on the lush, green campus of Mercyhurst College situated on a picturesque hillside overlooking the small town of Erie, Pennsylvania. The students of this small, Catholic University will certainly become familiar with the school’s well known mantra: carpe diem.  The school’s expectation is that its students will embrace this latin phrase meaning, seize the day in their everyday lives.

This group of young adults, embarking on a new phase in their lives, is traditional every September.  One particular student will grace Mercyhurst and stand with the almost 680 students composing this year’s freshman class. But this student and his journey is anything but conventional.  Peter Jackson Jr. will both inspire and galvanize your spirit.  His connection with UMPS CARE Charities as the inaugural recipient of the All-Star Scholarship is only a fraction of an extraordinary journey of strength, determination and the enduring, selfless love of adoptive parents.

For most of Peter’s life he and his younger brother would go to bed each night with the unabated fear that in the morning they would be, yet again, moved to another place.  Peter has grown up living with the harsh reality of both biological parents being incarcerated.  He has coped with the vast majority of his first 15 years of life persevering in countless foster homes and youth facilities.  Peter could not grasp even the notion of attending college, and graduating from high school seemed more unlikely with each passing day.  He knew essentially one truth and conveys it when he writes, “Some children do not get to experience life as it should be.  For most of my life I thought I was going to be one of those children.”

It is a story common to so many uncommon children who find themselves in similar circumstances.  With only a splinter of hope for a promising life, they begin each day with the lasting dream of becoming part of a family.  A dream that for many, rarely becomes a reality.

In a moment, all of that would change and his life would be forever transformed when Mark and Keegen Gennuso became parents to Peter and his younger brother.  They would become the single most influential people in his life and unleash a faith and awaken his heart in a way he never thought possible.  Peter tells us, “Everything changed when I met my adoptive parents. At that time a whole new world opened up to me and I no longer had to live the way I was living.”

Peter would go on to graduate from Fairview High School and leave a legacy of perseverance and leadership. Those in the community who knew of his story, would often share with Fairview faculty and coaches what a great job they have done with him.  One of Peter’s coaches asserts, “We very quickly correct them and let them know that all the hard work and growth has been achieved solely by this young man.”

Blessed with tremendous athletic ability and his strong academic record he would be accepted and earn an athletic scholarship to Mercyhurst College.  That, combined with other grants, would cover only a portion of the tuition and a substantial sum would still remain.   The once unimaginable now within reach, the UMPS CARE Charities All-Star Scholarship provides that final piece as Peter becomes the first in his family to attend college.

As Peter Jackson Jr. enters his first year at Mercyhurst College those who come to know him will quickly identify that this young man captures and embodies the true spirit of the latin adage the school advocates.

Seizing the day is only the beginning for a brave young man and for the parents who gave him a chance at life.

Education is an important part of life. In baseball terms, it gives you a healthy lead as you round the bases. UMPS CARE Charities and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA) have partnered to offer and administer All-Star Scholarship opportunities. Learn more at: UMPS CARE Charities Scholarship

Mike Di Muro has been a Major League Umpire since 1999.  He is the author of the official blog of UMPS CARE Charities.  Please leave any questions or comments below.