Meet the second group of local students vying for the Fortitude Scholarship whose stories of resilience have inspired so many.
Jack Sullivan
Jack Sullivan, a senior at Western High School, is a lifelong Kokomo area resident. He is known to his friends for being funny, but also for being kind and concerned with the welfare of others. He enjoys competitive bowling, but also finds time to work at Crew Carwash.
For many years, Sullivan and his two brothers split their time between their mother’s and father’s houses. On Monday and Thursday plus every other weekend, the boys stayed with their mother, Abbe McCain. Tuesday and Wednesday found them at Elliot and Sara Sullivan’s home.
“It’s never a problem; we have duplicates of everything at both places, but one time I couldn’t find my headphones,” says Sullivan. “I searched the whole house and had to convince my parents to drive me over to the other house. I searched that one as well, but it ended up that they were in my locker at school.”
However, these days when Sullivan is at his stepmother’s house, his dad is not there. Elliot Sullivan passed away in August 2022 as the result of a work-related accident. The elder Sullivan was a plant manager at High Performance Alloys, Inc. when the machine he was working on malfunctioned, and massive injuries ended his life.
“It was during the first week of school and my teacher got a call to send me down to the office,” says Sullivan. “I didn’t know what was happening. Then I saw my mother there crying. At first it was very hard to get through. I didn’t want contact with anyone but my family. It was rough because my dad’s accident was all over the internet, on the television news and in news articles. Some members of my dad’s family owned the company and the whole thing was hard on the ties we had with them. I was filled with anxiety and worry. I didn’t go back to school for a while.”
Sullivan is grateful to the school and his teachers for forgiving the assignments he missed during the time he was absent. Having a fresh start was key to his re-entry. He continued to enjoy his favorite subject, English, and also focused on activities within and outside of school.
“I saw a poster for a call-out to be a helper with the unified track team for special-needs students,” he says. “I thought it was something that would be cool, and I found that through the bonds and connections that were made, I have a real heart for it. I also volunteer a lot at my church, Judson Road Christian Church. I help the children’s pastor and teach some small groups, and volunteer with children’s workshop. It is a very significant part of my life. I compete on the school bowling team. One of my friends got me started with it in sixth grade. At first I didn’t like it and I wasn’t very good at it. Once I started to get better, it became a lot of fun. I’m also a student athletic trainer for the football team. I work alongside my stepmom who is an athletic trainer. I help by doing things such as taping wrists.”
College is in Sullivan’s future. He hasn’t ruled out ministry, but he feels drawn to follow in his stepmom’s footsteps. He’s considering a career in health care that includes athletics.
“Therapy helped me be able to talk to friends,” he says. “It is good to open up to people and let them know what I’ve been through. The friendships I’ve made and foundations I’ve set, especially through church, have made me realize I am a lot better at controlling my anxiety. It has all helped.”
Logan Comstock
Logan Comstock has been a student in Taylor Community School Corporation ever since he was in prekindergarten. He views his teachers and connections he has made as extensions of family. This is evident in the respect and joy he has for learning; he is in the academic top 10 of his senior class. He has met the requirements for a Technical Honor Diploma, and after graduating he plans to attend Ivy Tech to pursue a journeyman electrician certification.
“I’m just average in English, but math has been my go-to all my life, like my special superpower,” he says. “Since this is my last semester, I’m trying to cram in as much knowledge as I can. However, my favorite aspect of school is the teachers. They are lovely and so sweet. They have helped me learn not just school subjects, but about life. School is my escape.”
While school is his sanctuary, living conditions at home are challenging. Due to a drug problem, his father put the family into over $70,000 in debt. In a brief span of time, his father purchased three BMW automobiles and ruined them in car accidents. They have been without heat for over three years. For a period, there was no running water in the house. Comstock loves to cook for fun, but with the gas shut off, only a small electric hot plate is available.
“My mom, Sarah Comstock, has tried hard to pay off the debt,” he says. “She worked for Chrysler for 12 years but got laid off. She substitutes and collects unemployment but makes too much to qualify for most assistance. One of the biggest tolls of this is our car situation. Right now my mom is using her friend’s car, but we must return it soon. I need transportation to get to the Kokomo Career Center which is across town. I have a learner’s permit, but not a car to use to learn how to drive.”
“My dad is in and out of prison,” he adds. “My older siblings say he was a good person until the drug abuse took over; heroin, cocaine and meth changed him. You could see it more in his eyes than anything. To me he was either neglectful or abusive. I have memories of my older brother fist fighting with him about every other night. Then my older brother would black out and ask me what happened.”
Comstock shares that he survives by surrounding himself with a good group of people, so he isn’t isolated. He found a safe space in marching band as percussionist captain. He credits Max Johnson and the percussionist staff as role models for how to lead. Comstock strives to follow their example by realizing that everyone learns differently and is special in their own way.
“Having the chance to lead percussion made me mature,” says Comstock. “Mr. Johnson is a blessing. I’ve known him since I was 9 years old. He has paid me to do odd jobs at his house. I can’t imagine where I would be without him as a role model.”
Currently, Comstock is in the electrical program at the Kokomo Area Career Center, and he plans to be an electrician. However, his dream job would be opening a lunch spot and market across from the high school. He got the idea from history, government and economics teacher Dan Bennett.
“I’d decorate it with posters like the ones in Mr. Bennett’s room,” he says. “I’d have my family run it with me. We could call it Comstock’s and change the reputation of the name.”
“I got my work ethic from my mom,” he continues. “I can’t thank her enough. She is the most supportive mother. My advice is don’t blindly trust people; understand who they are before you hang out with them. Stick close to people that are competent, have faced adversity, and know what they are doing and that you completely trust. These are the people that helped me.”
Rose Cannon
Maconaquah High School senior Rose Cannon understands how important it is to stay positive. She strives to maintain a good attitude even if life has given her adverse circumstances. She finds joy in music and singing.
Cannon is not above revealing that she switched out her childhood hobby of collecting rocks with an obsession over Squishmallows and other stuffed animals. Cannon also enjoys spending time with friends, and being in situations where she doesn’t know anyone because it forces her to engage in conversation. Both scenarios give her opportunities to help people around her.
When Cannon was in elementary school, her mom, Christina Cannon, was diagnosed with cervical cancer. After going through months of treatment, the family thought the cancer was beat. Sadly it reoccurred in 2017, and in May 2018, when Cannon was in fifth grade, her mother passed away.
“My brother and I moved in with my mom’s parents,” she says. “My dad was struggling with a drinking problem at the time. I began going to Maconaquah schools in Bunker Hill. Since I moved schools, no one knew me and I didn’t open up to them. No one knew what I was going through. My mother’s mom, my grandma, was affected by my mom’s death. We didn’t talk about it. I lived there until September of my freshman year, but things were strained and not good.”
“Then I began living with my dad’s father, Rick Cannon,” she continues. “His wife, my other grandma, had passed on a few months earlier than my mom. It’s working out well; he’s funny. My dad is now doing better and lives with his wife and stepson. Even though I moved to Kokomo, I continued going to Maconaquah High School. A bus picks up a few students who live in Kokomo and drives us to Bunker Hill.”
English is Cannon’s favorite subject. She enjoys creative writing. Her genre of choice is poetry, and she keeps a journal. The opportunity to participate in choir and theater is another aspect of school that she has more recently become interested in.
“In middle school I never thought I’d participate in choir,” she says. “I didn’t have the courage, but Choir Teacher Michelle Lybrook saw something in me. When I was a sophomore I tried it and loved it. Then as a junior I auditioned and joined advanced girls choir. We sing and dance, and do performances at churches and nursing homes. I’m also trying theater. I’m one of the Lost Boys in the March 8 and 9 production of ‘Peter Pan’. I’m excited that my grandpa is going to come and see it.”
After graduating, Cannon will attend Indiana University Kokomo. She plans to study psychology. Although being a psychiatrist is a long-range goal, she feels that would be far in the future.
“After my mom died I tried to go to therapy, but I thought I didn’t need it,” she says. “It wasn’t until I started to go to church with my boyfriend’s family that I got any kind of closure. Although I’d like to maybe someday be a psychiatrist, I realize it takes years and years of school. For now I would be happy being any sort of counselor to help people.”
“I try to put a smile on my face and look at the positive,” she adds. “I realize that just because my mom’s life is over, mine doesn’t have to be. My life doesn’t have to end. I know it’s worth it to keep moving on. I would advise people in a similar situation that if they keep moving forward and try to help people around them, it will get better.”
