From a young age, I have struggled with severe anxiety. I have always had the tendency to overthink and worry about the little things beyond my control. Going into high school, I greatly feared how I would be able manage a larger workload while keeping the pressures of good grades, being involved, and eventually being accepted into the college of my choice in the back
of my mind. During this time, I remember my Grandmother always reminding me of the verse
1 Peter 5:7; “Cast all your anxieties upon Him, because He cares for you”. This verse has since been an enormous comfort to me, and has helped me through some of my most difficult times. Over the past four years, I have learned that God provides you with every single thing you need to be successful and equipped for any battles you may face. I have seen His blessings and faithfulness in times of darkness, but also in times of pure joy and celebration. Through my faith, I have seen how important it is to trust the Lord’s plan, and be relentlessly grateful. I now realize that my fears going into high school were nothing in comparison to the blessings I have received; as a Senior, I am prepared to graduate confident in what I plan to study in college, and fully comfortable in where I will be next fall. I will be attending the University of XXX, with plans to major in Journalism and Communication Studies. I am graduating as a Valedictorian of my class, with a 4.5 GPA, numerous AP class credits, and college hours. If I could go back and talk to the stressed, fearful high school freshman I was in August of 2016, I would reassure her that faith can move mountains, soothe worries, and strengthen her in ways unimaginable. I would tell her that prayer will be her most useful tool, and that God holds so many moments of sheer joy, contentment, and love than she ever could have hoped for. I would remind her that she is a daughter of Christ, and through Him all things are beyond possible. I now feel so immensely grateful when I reflect on my four years of high school. My faith has without a doubt changed my life, and opened my eyes to the beauty and wonder of life with a God who loves relentlessly.

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Special thanks to our sponsor, Judson College!

I have a strong belief that everything happens for a reason. God gives us exactly what we need, even if it is not always what we want. I am thankful for each challenge that God has placed in my life, because each has prepared me to better serve Him and others. Throughout high school, I was blessed to play volleyball. Volleyball was much more than a sport in my life, it provided a family of friends, a direction, accountability and much joy. As a freshman, I was chosen to play an important role on our varsity team. Even being the only freshman, God provided me opportunities to demonstrate strength and leadership. Towards the end of the season, upon landing from a hit, my left knee buckled and my entire leg went numb. The next morning, I was told that my ACL was torn. After surgery, a six month rehabilitation began. The recovery process was grueling, as I spent most days in physical therapy relearning actions like walking, jumping, and running. I stayed strong in my faith and was certain God’s plan for my volleyball story was not over. I would write bible verses on my hand every day to remind myself that God was bigger than the challenges and heartbreak I was facing. I battled back and earned a spot to play for my high school team again.

As I began my junior year and considered college volleyball possibilities, the unbelievable happened. As I collided with one of my teammates, I knew I had torn my right ACL. Although I knew physically what the surgery and rehab would entail, I could not prepare for how difficult it would be mentally. I questioned why God was letting me go through all of this again, but I knew overcoming the challenge was bigger than playing volleyball again. My physical therapist told me something that gave me a realization for my future. She looked at me and said, “God promises to make something good out of the storms that bring devastation to your life.” He gave me the strength to return to my team for an amazing senior season, but more importantly redirected my life to the path He has planned for me. I am doing what I possibly can to earn scholarships for my undergraduate studies, with the goal to become a physical therapist-as God has written the story for my life.

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Special thanks to our sponsor, Judson College!

Something my church has instilled in me from a young age is that missions are so important. Whether financially supporting them, praying for the people that go on them, or participating in them yourself they are an amazing way to share the love and Word of God. During my sophomore year of high school, I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to the country of Guatemala. I was in my third year of Spanish at the time and by no means was I fluent, but I was still excited to see how God was going to use me. Upon arriving in the country the amount of suffering was evident. My heart truly ached for these people, but I was so wrong. I should be concerned about the state of my heart not their state of living. While having little to nothing and living in a house with a dirt floor, these people showed me what it looked like to truly have joy. I used what Spanish I had to talk to a local pastor there. He said that residents of the United States are so focused on material things and how we can better our lives while these people do not have much at all but were so willing to share. I went into this trip thinking about how I could impact the lives of these people, and yes I did have that opportunity, but ultimately I felt like they left a greater impact on me. When I returned home I saw how privileged I was. Things of this world will bring you temporary happiness but I learned that true joy is found in the Lord. Through this eye-opening experience, God showed me my passion for the Spanish language and the people of Latin America. I thought that I would go to Spanish three and that would be it, but here I am, a senior in high school, in my fifth year of Spanish and planning on minoring in it in college. Without the encouragement from my church home, my wonderful Spanish teachers, the opportunity to go on this trip, and the call the Lord placed on my life I would have never known that I would forever want to be involved in the work the Lord is doing in Latin America.

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Special thanks to our sponsor, Judson College!

My Christian faith has impacted my high school career by allowing me the opportunity to lead worship in the First Priority club at my school, to share God with others, and learn to lean on Him when I need direction. The summer before junior year, I attended Motion Conference. God put it on my heart to either start or serve in a Christian organization at my school. I felt this enormous call to be a servant leader to my peers and help them to know God, but I wasn’t sure how. As I began to pray that God would bless me with leadership abilities and that people at my school would be saved, I didn’t know much about First Priority or that my AP U.S. History teacher would end up being the sponsor, but I knew that God was calling me to serve. Within weeks, my teacher announced that First Priority would meet weekly and if anyone would like to be involved, then they should speak to him. I knew this was what I had been praying for all summer! What I wasn’t fully confident about was how to serve, since I am not much of a public speaker. I stayed after class with the intention of asking him about First Priority and whether there were ways I could serve. Before I could ask, he asked me if I would like to take a leadership position and if I played any instruments or sang. I play guitar and I sing in the chamber choir, so I knew immediately that God was showing me how He wanted me to serve. My teacher asked if I needed to pray about it, but I told him that I had been praying about since the summer! Everything from that point showed that His hand was pointing the way. For the last two years, I have had opportunities to share my faith, be an example of Christ’s love and learn to pray and trust that God is in control and that He will make a way and open doors for every opportunity that is His will -whether it was deciding what college to attend or how to get through difficult situations. There is a saying that goes, “If there’s a will, then there’s a way,” but I think it should be: “If it’s His will, then He’ll make a way.”

Click here to read all of the 2020 Scholarship Essays!

Special thanks to our sponsor, Judson College!