Wisdom, Truth from Cassidy O'Hara
Interview by Adam Henschel
Cassidy Leigh O’Hara is the winner of the #WeAreMashpee outreach store's $1,000 essay contest about why it is great to be in Mashpee.
Cassidy, who graduated from Mashpee High School in 2017, came back to Mashpee from Johnson and Wales University, where she is a sophomore, to read her essay aloud at Mashpee Town Meeting in October. Her essay was selected from 32 submissions from current and former Mashpee students.
Cassidy responded to questions from The Falconer in writing after her selection was announced last month.
Q: What made you decide to write this essay?
At Johnson and Wales University I am a member of the lacrosse team. Before every game, the team passes around a sharpie. Each player of the team writes the names or numbers of the people that they play for on their wrist. From the very first game I played as a wildcat, I write people and teammates on my left wrist and every game I write “Mashpee,” on my right wrist. People have questioned why I consistently write my hometown on my wrist. The answer is simple, I play for the people who made me who I am. I play for the people who believed in me. I play for the people looking up to me and are inspired by me. Lastly, I play for my home. I apply this to all aspects of my life. I am motivated by all the effort and belief the Mashpee community has given me. This is why I decided to write this essay, I wanted to finally tell the community what it meant to me as a thank you. Without Mashpee, I would not be where I am today and for that I am grateful.
Cassidy Leigh O’Hara is the winner of the #WeAreMashpee outreach store's $1,000 essay contest about why it is great to be in Mashpee.
Cassidy, who graduated from Mashpee High School in 2017, came back to Mashpee from Johnson and Wales University, where she is a sophomore, to read her essay aloud at Mashpee Town Meeting in October. Her essay was selected from 32 submissions from current and former Mashpee students.
Cassidy responded to questions from The Falconer in writing after her selection was announced last month.
Q: What made you decide to write this essay?
At Johnson and Wales University I am a member of the lacrosse team. Before every game, the team passes around a sharpie. Each player of the team writes the names or numbers of the people that they play for on their wrist. From the very first game I played as a wildcat, I write people and teammates on my left wrist and every game I write “Mashpee,” on my right wrist. People have questioned why I consistently write my hometown on my wrist. The answer is simple, I play for the people who made me who I am. I play for the people who believed in me. I play for the people looking up to me and are inspired by me. Lastly, I play for my home. I apply this to all aspects of my life. I am motivated by all the effort and belief the Mashpee community has given me. This is why I decided to write this essay, I wanted to finally tell the community what it meant to me as a thank you. Without Mashpee, I would not be where I am today and for that I am grateful.
Q: What do you plan to do with the earnings?
The earnings from this essay are not going to anything exciting, I am going to put it towards paying for school. I used this money as if it was a scholarship rather than prize money. The earnings are going directly back into my education.
Q: What was going through your mind as you stood before the town meeting and read your essay?
Before I stood on the stage before the town meeting I flashed back to my senior year of high school. One of my friends at the time was in chorus and they were putting on a coffee house. I remember she jokingly told me that she would buy me dinner if I sang at the coffee house. I am probably the worst singer in existence and I am tone deaf but I love to make people smile and laugh. I showed up to coffee house and sang like no one was watching in front of a pretty large crowd. I remember that everyone in the audience was enjoying it. More importantly I remember not being nervous. Before the town meeting, I was slightly nervous because the crowd was so large. This memory reminded me that if I can attempt to sing in front of my classmates, this would be a more forgiving crowd. My nerves went away after this memory. I spent the rest of my time reminiscing on memories from high school. This was my first real time back since graduating.
Q: In your essay you claim, “The community believed in me before I believed in myself”. Is this a reference to anyone in particular or genuinely a broad statement about the community as a whole?
I would say that this is a genuine statement about the whole community, there was never a person I felt I couldn’t reach out to. With that being said, there were people and faculty that directly built my experience more than others. The first person who believed in me was Mrs. Reynolds, I took three different classes with her throughout high school and she became a mentor to me. The first class was the very first Advanced Placement course I took. She encouraged me to push myself beyond what I thought was possible and I ended up passing. She was one of my mentors for my senior project and she always opened her door to me. This was one of the teachers that Invented on bad or hyped me up on game days. Mrs. Reynolds is the reason that people become teachers, she changes lives.
In addition to this, as mentioned in my essay, Mr. Wray. He was my very first lacrosse coach. He inspired me to become a goaltender and told me what I could become. I accredit all my athletic success to the teacher that took a chance on that scared kid eighth grade year. Another big name in the community is Mrs. Catalina. Mrs. Catalina is not a guidance counselor and is not a teacher. She is a secretary for the guidance office. This woman is one of the most remarkable women I have ever had the privilege to meet. She balances a plate fuller than most and still makes time to reach out to students. There was not one day that she did not ask me how I was doing. Even past graduation she reaches out to me to make sure I am doing alright at school. If I could be even half the person she is, I would be lucky. When I said in my essay, the community believed in me before I believed in myself, I was referencing the entire community honestly. However, there were a few people who believed in me beyond what I ever intended. For these people, I thank dearly, without them none of my accomplishments would be possible.
The earnings from this essay are not going to anything exciting, I am going to put it towards paying for school. I used this money as if it was a scholarship rather than prize money. The earnings are going directly back into my education.
Q: What was going through your mind as you stood before the town meeting and read your essay?
Before I stood on the stage before the town meeting I flashed back to my senior year of high school. One of my friends at the time was in chorus and they were putting on a coffee house. I remember she jokingly told me that she would buy me dinner if I sang at the coffee house. I am probably the worst singer in existence and I am tone deaf but I love to make people smile and laugh. I showed up to coffee house and sang like no one was watching in front of a pretty large crowd. I remember that everyone in the audience was enjoying it. More importantly I remember not being nervous. Before the town meeting, I was slightly nervous because the crowd was so large. This memory reminded me that if I can attempt to sing in front of my classmates, this would be a more forgiving crowd. My nerves went away after this memory. I spent the rest of my time reminiscing on memories from high school. This was my first real time back since graduating.
Q: In your essay you claim, “The community believed in me before I believed in myself”. Is this a reference to anyone in particular or genuinely a broad statement about the community as a whole?
I would say that this is a genuine statement about the whole community, there was never a person I felt I couldn’t reach out to. With that being said, there were people and faculty that directly built my experience more than others. The first person who believed in me was Mrs. Reynolds, I took three different classes with her throughout high school and she became a mentor to me. The first class was the very first Advanced Placement course I took. She encouraged me to push myself beyond what I thought was possible and I ended up passing. She was one of my mentors for my senior project and she always opened her door to me. This was one of the teachers that Invented on bad or hyped me up on game days. Mrs. Reynolds is the reason that people become teachers, she changes lives.
In addition to this, as mentioned in my essay, Mr. Wray. He was my very first lacrosse coach. He inspired me to become a goaltender and told me what I could become. I accredit all my athletic success to the teacher that took a chance on that scared kid eighth grade year. Another big name in the community is Mrs. Catalina. Mrs. Catalina is not a guidance counselor and is not a teacher. She is a secretary for the guidance office. This woman is one of the most remarkable women I have ever had the privilege to meet. She balances a plate fuller than most and still makes time to reach out to students. There was not one day that she did not ask me how I was doing. Even past graduation she reaches out to me to make sure I am doing alright at school. If I could be even half the person she is, I would be lucky. When I said in my essay, the community believed in me before I believed in myself, I was referencing the entire community honestly. However, there were a few people who believed in me beyond what I ever intended. For these people, I thank dearly, without them none of my accomplishments would be possible.
"My advice for rising seniors is to enjoy the little moments."
Q: What was your reaction upon finding out your essay had been selected as the winner?
In all honesty, I get a high amount of spam calls daily. In all seriousness I get about 8 spam phone calls a day. When I received a call from a random number, I assumed it would be another one of those calls. For some reason I answered (I usually don’t), so above all I was shocked it wasn’t a spam phone call. My reaction after that was shock. I never thought that I would win the essay challenge. I just wrote it to say thank you to the community for everything it gave me. I remember when I was told I won, I repeatedly said, “No way,” and “Really, me?” This was ultimately one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. I was completely in shock.
Q: What advice would you have for anyone new to the Mashpee community members?
I would tell newcomers to the Mashpee community to be open to letting the community help. When I first attended Mashpee, I had a really hard time with the switch. I did not allow teachers or staff to encourage me. I basically just did my own thing. The longer I spent in Mashpee, the more welcoming I became to the idea of having a family in this community. If I had let the community help me earlier, the transition would have been easier. Basically, my advice is to blindly trust in the character of this community.
Q: Do you feel that the experiences you had in the Mashpee community gave you any advantages above other students at your college?
I think the biggest advantage I have over other college students is the small school atmosphere. Mashpee is a lot smaller than other high schools nationwide. Although Mashpee was small, there was never a lack of challenging classes. At Mashpee, I was still able to take rigorous courses but, I did not get lost in the crowd in these courses. This gave me an advantage over other college students because I believe my academic background was stronger.
Q: As a Mashpee High School graduate who is now in college, do you have any advice for rising seniors who are preparing to leave the Mashpee community and embark on their own journeys?
My advice for rising seniors is to enjoy the little moments. I remember my freshman year, I was so eager to countdown the days until graduations. Without realizing it, those days flew faster than anticipated. My best advice is to not grow up too fast, as cliche as it sounds. Life is challenging and school only gets harder, most of the people you see in high school you will never be as close to again. Make an effort to go to the school play or the Friday night football game, cherish every moment because the days of high school are numbered. In addition to this, I would tell rising seniors to let the small stuff go. If something unexpected happens, don’t focus on it all day. Life is short, too short to focus on the negatives. Basically, life is what you make it, so make it positive and memorable.
In all honesty, I get a high amount of spam calls daily. In all seriousness I get about 8 spam phone calls a day. When I received a call from a random number, I assumed it would be another one of those calls. For some reason I answered (I usually don’t), so above all I was shocked it wasn’t a spam phone call. My reaction after that was shock. I never thought that I would win the essay challenge. I just wrote it to say thank you to the community for everything it gave me. I remember when I was told I won, I repeatedly said, “No way,” and “Really, me?” This was ultimately one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. I was completely in shock.
Q: What advice would you have for anyone new to the Mashpee community members?
I would tell newcomers to the Mashpee community to be open to letting the community help. When I first attended Mashpee, I had a really hard time with the switch. I did not allow teachers or staff to encourage me. I basically just did my own thing. The longer I spent in Mashpee, the more welcoming I became to the idea of having a family in this community. If I had let the community help me earlier, the transition would have been easier. Basically, my advice is to blindly trust in the character of this community.
Q: Do you feel that the experiences you had in the Mashpee community gave you any advantages above other students at your college?
I think the biggest advantage I have over other college students is the small school atmosphere. Mashpee is a lot smaller than other high schools nationwide. Although Mashpee was small, there was never a lack of challenging classes. At Mashpee, I was still able to take rigorous courses but, I did not get lost in the crowd in these courses. This gave me an advantage over other college students because I believe my academic background was stronger.
Q: As a Mashpee High School graduate who is now in college, do you have any advice for rising seniors who are preparing to leave the Mashpee community and embark on their own journeys?
My advice for rising seniors is to enjoy the little moments. I remember my freshman year, I was so eager to countdown the days until graduations. Without realizing it, those days flew faster than anticipated. My best advice is to not grow up too fast, as cliche as it sounds. Life is challenging and school only gets harder, most of the people you see in high school you will never be as close to again. Make an effort to go to the school play or the Friday night football game, cherish every moment because the days of high school are numbered. In addition to this, I would tell rising seniors to let the small stuff go. If something unexpected happens, don’t focus on it all day. Life is short, too short to focus on the negatives. Basically, life is what you make it, so make it positive and memorable.