2022 Award Speech
CLICK HERE Trumbull High School Scholarship Awards Video

Hello- My name is Michael Wasik,
I’m here tonight to present the Jay Shannon Memorial Scholarship.
I graduated from Trumbull High in 1996, along with Jay, who was a great friend during my time here
and for many years after.

Jay was a friendly, creative person and a talented artist. He was truly a one of a kind individual, and to this day I've never met anyone like him.
After graduating THS, he was able to study his passion of animation at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

Since 2009 this scholarship has helped creative Trumbull High School seniors move forward and achieve their dream.

Jay would be so proud of this.

Alert Einstein once said, “Creativity is contagious, pass it on.”
And so tonight I'm honored to do just that.

This year’s recipient is Kailey Caballero, who will go on to study Animation at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Kailey I wish you the best, and I hope that Jay’s talent and legacy will live on in your future work.

June 6th, 2022

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore,

I want to thank you for your selection of the Jay Shannon Memorial Scholarship. It makes me happy knowing that there are artists out there who work to support the creative process and to make the job industry much more diverse. Of course, I wanted to let you know that I will also do my part in carrying on the Jay Shannon legacy.

It pleases me to know that Jay had similar dreams to mine. Animation is such a big industry that requires hard work to make media come to life before an audience's eyes, The idea that something still can come to life so easily has me inspired to create. It's a form of art that uses motion to bring a story or a message to life. It's a form of art that I found so fascinating. It was my primary interest throughout high school that I valued over other aspects of my academic tasks. However, throughout high school, there was a personal struggle of mine to find a group of like minded people with a similar perspective. That's why I may have perked up or made an obvious reaction when I heard that Jay was an animation student. It was such a refreshing moment, hearing that I still have a chance to finding these people throughout my artistic career. Although Jay is no longer with us, I know for a fact that he must've been a very entertaining person that made anyone around him a lot brighter. I actually strive to be a person like that. I'm glad he was around to make such an impact.

As I head out to Boston in the fall, this shared dream of ours will always be on my mind. I will work hard to carry out this potential career. The process itself will be hard, being on the computer for 5 hours just to get a 30 second animation. In the end, it will all be worth it. With my practiced skills, I hope to work for the cartoon industry in order to create something that is memorable to all ages. I'll be doing it for myself, for my potential audience, my family, my friends, and of course, Jay. I strive to work for those who have supported me, who continue to support me, and who will support me.

Thank you again for selecting me as the recipient of the Jay Shannon Memorial Scholarship. I promise to contribute to the grand creative project of the world,
which is animation.

Many thanks,
Kailey Caballero