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Cancellation of Lacrosse Season: There are few things that bring myself more joy than competing with my brothers. All the hours, blood, sweat, tears, 5:30 AM practices, Gassers, and the hardships of the offseason are all to prepare our team for success when it comes gametime. The De La Salle Spartans Lacrosse team was off to a hot 7-1 start. Our hard work was paying off, but we knew what our final goal was... to win a NCS championship. No one in their wildest dreams thought that on March 10th we would compete for the last time. A few days later our head coach brought the team in for a meeting to let us know that our season was over. No words can come close to describing the overwhelming amount of emotions that ran through everyone's bodies. We all felt for our senior brothers, who would never put on that jersey again. However instead of concentrating on the negatives, we shifted our focus to when the time is right to compete again, the Spartans will be ready. This mindset has shaped my year in all aspects of my life and has really helped me through the year.

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Grandmother Suffers Major Stroke: If things couldn't get worse, shortly after the world was forced inside, my grandmother suffered a major stroke. I am fortunate enough to have grown up with both sets of grandparents no more than 3o minutes away. Spending time with them has been so impactful for molding me into the person I am today. Obviously I know they can't live forever, but that doesn't make sad news like this any easier to take in. The hardest part of this process was because of Covid-19 we were unable to visit my grandmother. She sat alone in a hospital bed with no one to comfort her. I would have given anything to just hold her hand and tell her everything will be okay. Fortunately, she steadily began her recovery process. I am happy to report that she just returned home to be with my grandfather. Her last breath approaches closer and closer by the second, however, my heart is at peace knowing she will die peacefully in her home and soon visit the Lord. Pictured above is my beautiful grandmother as she rests in her hospital bed.

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60th Wedding Anniversary Via Zoom: My other set of grandparents made it to sixty years of marriage in April! *Round of Applause, Round of Applause. Coming from a huge Irish-Catholic family, I know that this would have been such a special celebration if we all were able to be together. Unfortunately it was held on zoom. Although circumstances may have not been in our favor, we were still able celebrate together which is the important part. There are so many things in life that will move away, change, or be altered. I am blessed to have a family that I know will always be there for me. Pictured above is my family all dressed up for the zoom.

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Trip to Seattle: Every year the lacrosse team is fortunate enough to have a spring break trip where we travel to compete against teams from outside of the area. It is easily on of the highlights of the year as the team grows much closer together and forms memories that will last a lifetime.  This years destination was Seattle. Months of preparation and planning went into this trip. Not being able to attend and share those special moments with my brothers was really hard to accept. Pictured above is the itinerary for the trip if it happened.

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Confirmation: In May I was blessed enough to be confirmed at my local church with my family in attendance. Being confirmed proved to be a beacon of light through this quarantine process. In addition, it brought me closer to god and my faith grew immensely during this process. After being confirmed I gained a different perspective and approach on life. One that was not revolved around myself, but more around the people around me and christ. My new sense of faith would help me drastically through the many hardships of this year. Pictured above is my family, my sponsor Mac, and our priest at the ceremony. Hopefully Mr. Aliotti never sees this photo because I don't think he would be a fan of how long my hair is.

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Mothers Day Celebration: Pandemic or no Pandemic there is no way my family wasn't going to make sure my mom knew how special and appreciated she is to all of us. She is seriously the GOAT. My brother and I woke up at 5:30 AM to head to Safeway to gather ingredients for a meal of eggs benedict, savory and sweet waffles, pancakes, and potatoes. My mom was surprised to say the least at the food spread laid out before her when she came home from her annual Mothers day walk with other moms. Even though there is no one and I mean NO ONE that is harder on me than my mom as she is constantly reminding me about chores and my responsibilities I am beyond grateful and proud to call her my mom.

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Camp Aunt List: As I mentioned previously, I come from a massive Irish-Catholic family. There is 15 cousins in all. Every year, my Aunt Lisa is kind enough to host all the cousins for a one of a kind experience at her beach house in Manhattan Beach. All the cousins gather to compete in intense card games, play numerous rounds of volleyball, indulge on some home cooked meals, and all around spend time with each other and escape from our hectic lives. Beach camp serves as a much needed reminder that no matter what is going on in your life, you will always have one thing and that thing is family. This years beach camp was especially one to remember because of the positive impact it had on all of us after a tough first half of the year.

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Lacrosse Trip to Tennessee: A normal summer consists of usually 8 or 9 lacrosse tournaments back east where my friends and I travel east to compete against some of the best competition. However, because of Covid-19, we were not even sure if we would have one tournament. Thankfully because of the low numbers of Covid cases in Tennessee, A event management group was able to put on a event where the nations best would compete and get film to send to college coaches. Without competition since early March I was so eager to get back on the field. Pictured above is this incredible one of a kind Nashville hot chicken sandwich. It was life changing. One of the main perks of traveling so much is exploring different states and cultures.

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Lacrosse Trip to Delaware: My second and last summer lacrosse trip was to Delaware. These trips are "business trips" because we fly across country to do one thing and one thing only and thats win. However, the memories made through these trips last a lifetime and is why not having a typical lacrosse summer season was so hard. In this particular video my good buddy Charlie and I decided to stack gummy bears and a Chick-Fil-A sandwich on top of my best friend Luke's head while he slept like a baby on the flight home. Lets just say we got a good laugh in when he woke up.

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4th of July: My best friends Luke and Nolan traveled with Nolans family up to Lake Tahoe for the 4th of July. This was one of the highlights of my year as we went on many adventures and made many memories including parasailing, mini golf, card games, family meals and many more. I am so grateful for how generous Nolans family was to include Luke and I on their family trip.

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Squaw Valley: In addition to Beach Camp, another Conrad family tradition is traveling to Squaw Valley every year with family. I have been going since I was really little. Usually a trip is made up of going to our favorite smoothie spot and Irish pub, hiking on the mountains, going to play soccer at this field, card games, and campfires. My mom lovesssss the outdoors and it is so clear she is happiest when in Squaw Valley. Pictured above is my dad and I hitting a local golf course for some bonding while in Squaw Valley.

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Pizza Party: Similar to Mother's Day, pandemic or no pandemic, my family was going to make sure that my little sister had a fantastic birthday party. Even though we were not able to host any people or maybe couldn't do some usual things you would do on your birthday we still had a awesome day. My sister decided for her birthday she wanted to make home made pizzas as a family. We all had a great time and they came out great... Happy 13th Camille!

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Recruiting Process: NCAA law prohibits any contact between universities and student-athlete prospects until September 1st of their Junior year. All of my hardwork in the classroom and on the field was in preparation for September 1st, hoping to receive a phone call. This years recruiting process was unlike any other as college coaches would normally line the sideline at summer showcase and tournaments. Covid prohibited them from doing so. The recruiting process can be very stressful and demanding. When September 1st hit, this amount of anxiety only grew. All of a sudden I was faced with decisions that would impact the rest of my life. All of the texts, emails, phone call interviews was an intense process. Earlier in the summer as added motivation to work hard, I promised myself I would not listen to my favorite song (Congratulations by Post Malone) until the day I committed. The lyrics go I was patient.... now I can scream that I made it!!! This is why I was belting the song at the top of my lungs when the day finally came.

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Committing to Yale University: The moment I was offered a spot to join the team and be a Student-Athlete at Yale University I knew it was the right fit. All of the hours I have put in, all the drives my parents made to practices, all that my coaches and teachers have done for me, all had finally paid off. With 2020 being well 2020, committing was one of the highlights of the year. My family and I were overwhelmed with joy and blessings. It is one of the best feelings in the world to me when I make my parents proud because they do so much for me I can only hope to give back as much as they have blessed me with. Seeing how proud and emotional my parents and family made all the hard work so worth it. None of this would be possible if it wasn't for all the incredible people in my life. I am so thankful for God, my parents, older brother, younger sister, family, friends, coaches, mentors, and teachers for helping me to be in the position I am in today. Go Bulldogs!

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Hughlaween: My birthday is on October 30th. To friends and family October 30th is known as Hugh-laweeen. October 31st being Halloween. Growing up my family would have these huge halloween parties for all my friends and their families. It was so awesome to see everyone gathered in one place. Unfortunately with Covid there could not be a Hughlaween this year. However that didnt mean there was going to be no Halloween spirit. Pictured above is my choice of costume this year.... a fish taco. Once again, my family and I just tried to make the most out of what we had this year. This seems to be a reoccuring theme.

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Steak: One thing that I tried to take advantage of during Covid since I had so much free time at home was my cooking skills. I wanted to hone in one one area specifically and that was steak. By October I had almost perfected my method. First I let the steak rest at room temp before letting it reverse sear on a grill for 40 minutes at 200 degrees. This lets the steak cook evenly internally. After the steak has reached the ideal cooking team it is time to sear it. I throw it in a raging hot pan while basting with butter and rosemary for a minute each side. And there you have it. Covid presented us all with alot of time and it was up to us how we could use it to our advantage and better ourselves.

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Death of a Close Friend: Quite possibly the hardest moments of this year. Even though 2020 has been a roller coaster of a year with seemingly countless letdowns there is nothing that could prepare me for anything like this. It is still extremely hard to type words to describe how I felt when I learned that one of my close friends had taken his own life while being away at college. This was such a brutal blow for the whole community and especially his family. I simply cannot imagine the pain they have endured. His funeral was one of the most impactful moments in my life and I will never forget it. This was a eye opener to mental health and encouraged me to check in with all my loved ones constantly and make sure they know how loved they are. 2020 has been a year where it seems like there are lessons to be learned everyday about gratitude. This year has taught me so much about being grateful for all that I have especially my family. Long Live Riley.

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Conrad Quarantine: My family and I decided to get tested for Covid during the Thanksgiving break. Unfortunately my little sisters test came back positive. If there were any lessons I had missed through the passing of Riley about being appreciative for my family I certainly learned them in this circumstance. It was a scary time for my whole family and I felt for my sister especially as she sat alone in her room for days. I am the typical older brother in terms of I give my sister alot of tough love. However when she was locked away there is nothing I wanted to do more than give her a hug and let her know how much she means to me and the family. If there is one thing I am taking away from this year is never ever take my family for granted ever. I cannot imagine my life without and one of them and I am so blessed to call them my family.

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Watching Elf: December 1st. Not a day earlier, not a day later. Every year on this day is when my family gathers to watch out favorite movie Elf, starring Will Ferrell. I am proud to admit I could recite the whole script from the first word to the last. It is times like these when my whole family is together, hysterically laughing where I feel the most grateful for my family.

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Decorating Tree: Similar to the tradition of watching Elf every year on December 1st, we also decorate our tree on that day. Each member of my family has their own ornaments they put up. NO ornament goes on before my dad's famous Kermit the Frog ornament. I have always found it interesting how some families decorate their trees in early November. In my family, any Christmas related activities begin December 1st. No matter what day it happens, it is always a great time to be surrounded by loved ones and Christmas spirit.

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While throughout this year there have been a seemingly endless amount of low points and things that didn't go our way, this project gave me a whole new outlook on this year. To somehow put together the year we had and still attempt to live our lives to the fullest is something that I think we should all be proud of. To say this year was easy and full of happiness and rainbows would be, well, very wrong. We all experienced low points that revealed the character inside all of us. Afterall, adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it. What do you have for us 2021? We can take it.