Making a Wish Upon a Star

Matthew was under the impression he was attending a community stargazing session arranged by Lark. Instead, he and his family were met by a packed room, speeches from students and College leaders, and an unveiling of the Sky-Watcher Flextube 300, which will eventually be housed in a custom-built observatory at his home.

The wish was made possible by Hamilton’s Wishmakers Club and the men’s hockey team, whose players raised money earlier this year by organizing a Make-A-Wish-themed game against Amherst. Players wore custom jerseys that were later auctioned online. The effort was led by juniors Jackson Krock and Cam Miranda, members of the hockey team and co-leaders of Hamilton’s Wishmakers Club.

“The hockey team takes a lot of pride in the club,” Krock said. “Now that we were in that position of leadership, we wanted to do something that involved the whole team.” Miranda added that their goal was to get more people involved. “We felt like raising money through a hockey game would really get the community involved.”

Not only did the team beat Amherst on their way to their first-ever NESCAC championship, but also raised over $6,000. The Make-A-Wish Foundation reached out to Hamilton after learning about the fundraiser’s success. “Once we told them how much we raised, they told us, ‘We found a local kid that would love to have his wish come true at Hamilton,’” Miranda said. 

Featured photo, above: Matthew, back row center, poses with President Steven Tepper, Professor Adam Lark, family, friends and members of the Hamilton College Hockey team. Photo: Nancy L. Ford

Lark, who teaches astronomy and physics, said he was immediately interested when he heard about Matthew’s wish. “I have a 14-year-old son — the same age as Matthew — and my son loves astronomy, the same as Matthew,” Lark said. “I really admire how Matthew is so into astronomy this early in his life. I couldn’t turn this down.”

After the big reveal, the significance continued for Lark. “This is probably one of the most rewarding things that I’ve ever gotten to do,” he said. “I love teaching. I love being a professor. But it feels secondary to the amazingness of being able to reach somebody at this time in their life in a really meaningful, positive way.”

Matthew, whose favorite star is Arcturus, was thrilled by the gift. “I’ve always wanted a telescope that can track stars in the sky,” he said. “I don’t know how to describe it. It’s amazing.” Matthew has recently taken an interest in astrophotography and said he’s most excited to point the telescope at planets, nebulae, and eventually galaxies. His excitement was contagious, and his family said they couldn’t have been more proud. 

President Steven Tepper, who gave an introductory speech at the event, was equally proud of Krock, Miranda, and the rest of the Hamilton Wishmakers. “Active citizenship is part of our mission to prepare our students,” he said. “I’m so inspired by how much we do in the community and how seriously we take it.”

Despite the event being interrupted by rain, the crowd lingered long after the reveal to tour the observatory and congratulate Matthew and his family. “The fact that our students put this together and raised $6,000 to fund a telescope and at-home observatory for Matthew,” Lark said. “It was perfect.”