---
title: "Scholarship Winner: Tatum Osborne"
date: 2026-03-30
author: "Laurie Stroud"
featured_image: "https://birminghamchristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/26-Scholarship-finalist-Tatum-Osborne.jpg"
categories:
  - name: "Scholarship Essays 2026"
    url: "/category/scholarship-essays/scholarship-essays-2026.md"
tags:
  - name: "Featured"
    url: "/tag/featured.md"
---

# Scholarship Winner: Tatum Osborne

[![Tatum Osborne Vestavia Hills High School](https://birminghamchristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tatum-Osborne-Vestavia-Hills-High-School-232x300.jpg "Tatum Osborne Vestavia Hills High School")](https://birminghamchristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Tatum-Osborne-Vestavia-Hills-High-School.jpg)Vestavia Hills, Ala. resident Tatum Osborne attends Vestavia Hills High School.I was raised in a home that prioritized service. Our family motto is, “Osbornes leave it better than we found it,” and we mean that both literally and relationally. I was taught from a young age the impact that serving others has on both myself and the person I am serving. My passion for service has driven me to make the decision to spend my next four years at Samford University because going to college, to me, is not simply about walking across the stage and receiving my degree, but the most in depth preparation for service I could find.

I have been told time and again how life-changing the next four years of my life will be. I will meet people from all over the country who will inevitably become my lifelong friends. I will be presented with opportunities to lead others and explore what I am truly passionate about. I will also have the opportunity to serve. I watch as my older sisters’ friends serve in their new churches, nonprofits around the community, and camps for children over the summers. I watch them grow into people who are confident in their dreams, to people who are confident in their actions. The example I will take from, of course, is the Lord. The only One who has the capacity to serve with the utmost patience, love, and humility is the One who is Patience, Love, and Humility. Therefore, as I see my sisters’ friends serving and as I see Jesus serving, I will follow the call to service by attending a university that will prepare me for service.

In a country where the goal is to take God out of the schools, I will strive to bring the light, love, and patience of Him into my school building every day. I will create a classroom environment where every child feels safe and seen. Taking on the communicable attributes of Jesus, I will ensure that none of my students feels pushed to the side or overlooked. Attending a Christian university will provide me with the foundation and confidence to live out my faith boldly, regardless of the conditions around me. Furthermore, empowering my ability to someday serve my students will give me the opportunity to teach my students how to serve others as well.

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[![Alabama Credit Union Logo](https://birminghamchristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Alabama-Credit-Union-Logo-300x101.jpg "Alabama Credit Union Logo")](http://www.alabamacu.com/)[![ALFA Farmers logo](https://birminghamchristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ALFA-Farmers-logo-278x300.png "ALFA Farmers logo")](https://alfafarmers.org/)[![American Village logo](https://birminghamchristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/American-Village-logo-300x193.jpg "American Village logo")](http://www.americanvillage.org/)[![The Center Logo no background](https://birminghamchristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Center-Logo_no-background-300x251.png "The Center Logo no background")](https://thecenterbham.org/)

[![Vulcan Termite and Pest Control Logo](https://birminghamchristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Vulcan-Termite-and-Pest-Control-Logo-300x102.png "Vulcan Termite and Pest Control Logo")](http://www.vulcantermite.com/)