***Elizabeth Beaton: Mike and I worked together in Print and Marketing during the summer of 2018. Our shifts often overlapped and we spent a lot of time together. He was a great co-worker; he really helped me transition back into working at Staples and answered my many questions. He was so kind to me. When he wasn't working, customers would often come in asking for him by name because he had been so helpful, and they wanted to work with him again. Managing the stress of so many customers at once was difficult, but Mike worked hard to make sure that orders were finished. It was always such a relief when he came in for his shift and he really helped to make sure that everyone kept a level head. My favorite part of working with Mike was catching up and chatting between the rushes of orders. I was returning to Staples after spending a year in Morocco and Mike patiently listened to all of my stories about my experience there. He loved to talk about music and about where he wanted to travel. We discussed everything from politics to life in Shrewsbury and gave each other restaurant recommendations. Moving into an apartment in Westboro was so exciting for him and we talked often about how great the proximity to the commuter rail would be for him. Mike was incredibly creative, and he shared some of his digital art with me. He was a genuine person who really cared and made others around him feel comfortable to open up. I feel so lucky that we became friends. ***Megan: He was a really cool person to talk to. Very down to earth and willing to help you out if you needed it. He was way too young to have passed but I guess he was meant for something greater. ***Kenton: An amazing, hard-working kid who always was willing to help out and give him best advice. ***Kurtis: Mike was a great guy, smart as heck, and it was a pleasure to work with him. ***George: Mike was a friendly, helpful guy. Always had a smile and a greeting when we saw each other. Mike was also always ready to help me or answer a question when, as a new employee (and a Senior Citizen,) I was learning my job. Miss him very much! ***Christa: Mike was an awesome worker! He was attentive. He showed real raw passion for the work he did. Every customer that he worked with, he touched. He connected and made them feel listened to and understood. Mike always used to draw in his downtime, and he was very talented. Although I only knew Mike on a professional level, he was always happy. Making everyone around him laugh. He had a deep love for music and loved to express it. He is truly missed. ***Spencer: I, unfortunately, had far insufficient time to get to know Mike at Staples as much as Id have liked to. In the few times when I didn't care about Jim or Terry reprimanding me for conversing with the Copy Center people, when I got to talk to Mike, I learned that he and I shared a deeply resonant interest in music, and to my surprised, one of my favorite groups, Duster, was also one of his. I really wish I got written-up more for slacking off so I could've spent more time at work with Mike before I left for college. ***Samantha: Mike was truly an amazing person to work with and to have as a friend. I worked with him the whole time he was at Staples. Like me, Mike was very artsy and interested in design. He was great at drawing and great with words. Because we are both quiet people, our management team never really praised us. However, we were each others support in a less-than-satisfactory work environment. I was so proud of Mike for earning Employee of the Month in June 2018. His design skills helped us keep customers that considered leaving Staples after other associates left. He even offered to help me redesign my resume. We would both send each other job postings looking for something better and more creative than Staples. We were even planning on getting drinks and figuring out how to tell corporate how awful our management team was, and to try to bring some peace to the store. We did have our own peace in Print and Marketing. On slower days, we would just talk about life in general and life goals. We both wanted to eventually go back to school, him for design and myself for film. I recently started film school, partly because Mike told me I could and that I deserve better than Staples. I know he definitely would've been a successful graphic designer. Mike would always be willing to cover a shift for me. He was a true team player. We could talk about anything and he would always be understanding and not judge. The fondest memory I have of Mike was a slow day at work. I, Mike, and another associate, Elizabeth, were somehow all scheduled at the same time. Elizabeth was showing us her photos from Morocco, and we were all talking and looking up places to travel online. The subject somehow steered to our favorite animals and we started looking at pictures of those. It was just a really cool day. Though I only knew and worked with Mike for a little more than a year, he was a great person, an understanding friends, and a privilege to have on my team.