Marichal Family STEM Scholarship

"Dan, hurry up and go, we're right behind you" I experienced a brief moment of hesitation. Not wanting to disappoint my friends, however, I shrugged off the feeling and led the dash across the street. Unfortunately for me, I didn't see the black SUV coming from the right until it was too late. *** On Halloween of 2016, I was pressured by my peers to jaywalk across a busy intersection. Just as the crosswalk was approaching zero, I was hit by a car. Clothes reduced to rags from road burns, skin scraped away from parts of my torso and legs, jaw and mouth injured to the point of impaired speech, I was in appalling condition when rushed to Children's National Main Hospital. At the time, I was extremely vulnerable to peer pressure and had an overwhelming desire to fit in. I believe this was because, despite growing up in the Church, I didn’t actually know Jesus Christ and therefore didn’t know myself. Because my identity wasn’t found in Him, it was found in people, external validation, and the world instead. It wasn’t until I woke up in my hospital bed that I realized something would have to change and that only God could do it. With the help of my mom, a strong woman of faith who was raising my siblings and me alone at the time, I slowly learned how to approach God and invite Him into my life. We started by praying for my healing, asking God to restore my body and speech. As weeks went by and we persisted in prayer, my wounds healed and my voice returned! My mom taught me not only how to ask for things in prayer, but also how to worship God for the blessings He’s already given us. We would sing and dance to Don Moen together, praising God for His deliverance from my accident. Most importantly, my mom stressed how crucial it was to discover Christ for myself and encouraged me to seek Him in the Word. I began to read the bible for the first time and learn who Jesus really is. My freshman year of high school, I surrendered my life to Jesus, not in a crowded pew but alone in my room as I poured out my heart to Him. From that moment on, I started to see Him move in other areas of my life. I met a new group of friends that helped turn my life in a completely new direction. Sharing common interests, such as track & field, the Minority Scholars Program, and the National Honor Society, I developed a genuine connection with them. These friends readily accepted me into their circle, cared for my well-being, and didn’t pressure me to do things. Through these people, God showed me that there are more important aspects to life than fitting in. I was empowered to pursue my initiatives at a much higher level, turning my attention toward school, athletics, and even community outreach. I enrolled in the IB diploma program, challenging myself with difficult classes and concepts, discovering for the first time that I could excel in the classroom. I trained more rigorously than I ever had in my sport, advancing from 2nd to last on the team to 2nd most improved in the state of Maryland. I became active in my community, connecting with brothers and sisters in homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and nonprofits all across the Rockville area. I was no longer concerned about following the crowd because I had already found my identity in Christ — an identity in my Father’s arms.