Rita, Jody and Trent at Awards Ceremony

The investment return on the account this year provided for one scholarship award, presented to Jody A. Dulin of Annapolis, MD. She is a delightful student, active with sports, school activities, church groups, and part time jobs. Notably, over the course of three summers, she was a nanny to a severely handicapped child who had suffered brain damage at birth, specifically meningitis. When she started her care, the child was 4 years old, functioning as a 12 month old, learning to sit up, roll a ball, play with blocks, and needed to be kept on a structured schedule. Jody could see the difference her care made in this child's life. In her application, Jody wrote regarding this relationship,

"When I walked into the room or she just heard my voice, her face lit up immediately and the feeling it gave me had a lasting affect. I wanted to make a difference in more than just one little girl's life. That is when I knew I wanted to become a teacher." As Jody described the effort and dedication needed to work with this child, and how much this relationship meant to her, the generosity and love she had for this child became very apparent. This is the spirit the Jeffrey Ralston Memorial Scholarship is meant to support. The excitement and sense of appreciation she exhibited when she learned that she had won the scholarship confirmed that she was indeed the correct choice.

Stephanie, Jeff's sister, came to the St. Mary's Senior Award Ceremony and presented the scholarship award of $1000 to Jody. Stephanie gave an insightful speech, focusing on the "moral compass" developed as part of the culture and education at St. Mary's, her high school alma mater as well. In her presentation, she stated "Your moral compass is that direction you follow when you are not sure of "right" versus "wrong" and you choose the harder "right" versus the easier "wrong." It's choosing how to spend your time, what decision to make, what you do for others. For some this is apparent now. For others, you have it, but it may take 5, 10, 20 years before you are truly tested and understand its value." She noted that Jeff was aware of his moral compass. She stated that Jody has also demonstrated a strong moral compass, holding loyalty, morals and high integrity as true measures of life, while recognizing the benefits of hard work and personal drive.

Stephanie ended by reminding all to use their personal moral compass and she enjoined each graduate to " follow your true north!"

(L to R): Allison Marstellar, Ted Purnell, Stephanie Ralston Khurana, Jody Dulin, Linda Dulin-Rodreguez, Rita Ralston, Trent Ralston, Julie Colburn, and Tony Rodrequez

As you can tell, the Ralston family found the awarding of the first scholarship a thoroughly satisfying and meaningful event. We were so pleased that Jeff's fiancé, Julie Colburn, and Allison Marstellar and Ted Purnell from CA were able to attend the ceremony, as were Jody's parents, Linda Dulin-Rodreguez and Tony Rodreguez. The happy group was thrilled to represent the scholarship benefactors in presenting this award, confirming how much Jeff meant to each of us in our lives and how much what he stood for continues to be of importance.

The faculty and administrators of St. Mary's High School are thrilled with this award and thank you for your support. Thank you note from Jody To all of the people who made the Jeffrey Ralston Scholarship possible - Thank you for all of your contributions. This scholarship meant a lot to me before I won it; now it means even more - I have gained someone so special to look up to!! With all the new clubs and activities that I have to chose from next year, I want to somehow do all of them, on top of playing lacrosse, but I am trying to choose one or two that I think Jeff would have enjoyed or liked. Jeff and the whole Ralston family are a very special part of my outlook on life and have impacted me in a very special way! I will never forget the way I felt when Stephanie said my name as the winner of the Jeff Ralston Scholarship. Just imagine being in a room with your best friends who knew how bad you wanted this and how much time you put into this Scholarship along with the rest of your classmates listening to an amazing acknowledgment from Stephanie about a truly wonderful person - and your name as the recipient. WOW - I still get that weird excited feeling in my stomach when I think of it. Thank you all so much for the chance to be a part of this tribute to Jeffrey. I will do my best to make all of you and my family proud. Thanks so much. Love, Jody Dulin

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