Arthur and Elana Panos Scholarship

God has been a tremendous guide for me through my life. Epically as I go through the life stages as a young adult. I have been tested countless of times by God & in those times, he has shown me the right path that I should always choose. God has brought me into the right surroundings with amazing Faith-driven friends who feel the same way I feel. He has showered me with the unconditional laughter & happiness that I recieve from being with them. Choir practice & bible study days are always something that I greatly look foward to. They make me want to attend church events & be a servant of God. Growing up as a young Christian, my faith in God never really felt important to me. I read the Bible & prayed but I was also a kid who questioned the unquestionable & that made me feel as if I was a non-believer. My youth group has given me the confidence of speaking out & being vocal when it comes to my questions & opinions about Faith & Christianity. My personal life is now almost always about church. From choir practice, to Sunday school teaching, to announcements to Bible study. My life as a youth is being shaped solely by my faith in God & as a Christian. This constant exposure is what shapes my judgment in life & my actions. As our world is growing with my generation, I know that there will be countless of tests & decisions that I will have to make that may affect my stance on being a Christian. I think about it all the time I sometimes I fear that I will make a grave mistake & get lost in the world of sins but, I know that with my friends, my family & my undenying love for God & the Bible, I will be alright. God never wants to lose a devoted Christian espically his children because he wants us to believe & understand the rights from wrongs at an early age. As I grow older & further peruse my career in the medical field I know that My God will give me the wisdom & clarity to pass any tests that I may need to pass. I know that he will plant me in the right path with the right people & I know that my Faith in him will never diminish as I pursue my career. I know that there may be times when i maynot ve able to be in church but my faith will never die. He has given me much that I never really thought I needed, especially as a young adult and I am forever grateful & blessed in his holy name for what he has done for me.

I was raised Catholic by devout parents. Both of my parents worked hard to keep our family afloat, but the church was one of the most integral parts of our week. Both my parents were immigrants and moved to the United States to give me an opportunity they didn't think I could get in South America. Growing up, I can not remember when God was not present in my life. While I was never forced to pray, it was something that I did naturally. I once had a nun in school tell me that God was to thank me when things were good and ask for help when things were not. I took that to heart and have kept that thought in my head when I pray daily. God has been especially my salvation in the last eight years of my life. I have had 11 brain surgeries and a stroke on the table in my last one. When I thought that I would not recover, I asked God to help me with things that should have been simple. I was prepared to accept a slight recovery. Instead, I got a new life. While my life changed, I lost my job; I had to go on disability; there is not one day that I do not thank God and understand that I have a purpose. Coming back to school so I can get a degree, and help children, is the reason God kept me alive. I pray that I can help so many more unfortunate than I.