I am Kiernan Clark, a recent graduate of Oxford Area High School and incoming Freshman at Messiah University, where I will be majoring in mechanical engineering. In high school I was heavily involved in my community, participating in numerous extracurriculars: serving as a leader in FCA, Vice President of my graduating class, a member of both the National Honor Society and National English Honor Society, a member of the Chester County Student Forum, an ambassador for the Morgan’s Message Foundation, in addition to volunteering as the varsity field hockey manager for four years and coaching youth lacrosse. Athletically, I swam for four years on varsity for the swimming team and was a four-time captain of my lacrosse team, where received the George A. Kruse Sportsmanship Award twice.
Of the laundry list of activities I have listed, the most influential of which was becoming a leader in my school’s chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Growing up in a practicing Catholic household, I had always been taught to value and serve others before myself, and FCA allowed me to do so. Having the responsibility of creating a scripture-based lesson was complicated, as I had to ensure to represent my faith truthfully while also producing something that was meaningful to high schoolers. I am eternally grateful for this, as it allowed me to grow my faith immensely. Being at the high school thirty minutes before anyone else to help set up was one of the best decisions I have made, as the time I spent watching the sun rise each Wednesday morning gave me valuable time to reflect on my life, my plans, and my aspirations. This gave me the opportunity to evaluate both my actions and the decisions I was making and whether I was glorifying the Lord through them. As my senior year progressed, I found myself using this time to contemplate where I would be attending college. Ultimately, I settled on Messiah University, as it offered me exactly what I was looking for: a vibrant Christian community, a program that would allow me to pursue my passion in engineering while also serving others, and the ability to continue playing lacrosse.
My passion for engineering has constantly developed throughout my life. As a kid, I was always very curious about how things worked and loved solving problems. I was never satisfied until I found the answer to my question. However, I have come across one problem that I believe needs a better solution: prosthetics and orthotics. After watching two people in my life, Hailey and Ed, struggle with overpriced and ineffective prosthetic devices, I decided that this was the calling I was going to pursue. My cousin Hailey was born with Down Syndrome, and along with the many other medical complications that she deals with on a day-to-day basis, her ankles require custom orthotics to stabilize her feet and ankles simply to allow her to walk comfortably. Even though these braces are an absolute necessity for Hailey, they come with an extreme price tag. Similarly, my teammate’s father, Ed, struggles with a similar issue. As a former U.S. Marine and paramedic, Ed suffers from neurologic complications resulting from working at Ground Zero following the September 11th attacks. Losing most of the functions of his legs, he relies heavily on his prosthetics to support a normal lifestyle. These are often extremely heavy, causing Ed to tire quickly upon use. Because of the stories of these two individuals amongst countless others, I strive to develop prosthetics and orthotics that are more accessible and functional, as I see it as my way to serve others as Jesus has taught me to.
Receiving this scholarship would allow me to pursue my passion of helping others through engineering without worrying about how I will face the financial burden of college. My family already supports my sister as she attends a private university, and I hold two part-time jobs to try and save as much for college as I can. This award would truly help me attend Messiah University, where I will become a disciple and not only grow my own faith, but also the faith of those around me.
My name is Walker Morgan. I am involved in National Honor Society, FCA, Teacher Cadets, and play basketball and volleyball for my school. I am a guitarist and vocalist and help lead worship at my church, and teach in the kid's department as well. I serve/volunteer a minimum of 20 hours per year at various events in my community and have also served with mission trips both local and abroad. I plan to attend Anderson University (SC) to earn a degree in Christian Studies with a focus on theology and apologetics. Although I don’t yet know which doors will open after I graduate, I pray that I can use my gifts, talents, and knowledge to make a positive impact—first within my small circle, and ultimately, in the world at large.
My passion for ministry comes from my own personal faith journey. My whole life changed in sixth grade because I lost my amazing 20-year-old sister, Kinsey. Kinsey was born with a congenital heart defect and DiGeorge Syndrome, which led to many medical complications, including six open-heart surgeries throughout her life. One thing always surprised me about Kinsey - she fought every day of her life to live, and even though she often knew that a procedure, surgery, or stay at the hospital could be her last, she always remained strong in her faith. She knew the risks of every procedure, yet she remained confident and full of peace, fully trusting in God no matter the circumstances; no matter the outcome.
When she passed away, I wrestled with questions about life and eternity. I finally realized that my hope was in fully trusting God with my life, just like Kinsey did. One night, shortly after her passing, I surrendered my heart to God. This decision has easily been the best I have ever made in my life. As I have grown in my own faith, my passion has grown to help others and further my education.
However, pursuing this calling comes with financial challenges. Kinsey’s wonderful life on this earth took a toll on my parents’ finances as a large amount of money went toward paying her medical bills over those precious 20 years. I wouldn’t change anything about what they did to care for her because every day with her was a gift and she inspired me to spend my life spreading Jesus to all. Still, it has impacted what my family can afford for my education. Receiving this scholarship would relieve some of the financial burden and allow me to focus on my studies rather than worrying about how to pay for school. It would give me the opportunity to deepen my understanding of scripture, strengthen my ability to defend the Christian faith, and prepare me for a future in some sort of ministry.
Losing Kinsey has easily been the greatest adversity I have ever faced in my life. Her passing has affected me and my family in a way that is indescribable. Such loss is something I would never want anyone to experience. But, through it all, I found a relationship with God, grew closer to my family, and her life inspired me to pursue the career path that I am now on. I know she would be proud of me and that I will see her again one day. I am grateful for her life because it changed mine.
I am JJ Borrero from Stockbridge, Georgia. I was recently honored to be the Valedictorian of my graduating class. It wasn’t always the goal to become valedictorian, and accomplishing the feat came with a unique set of challenges. There were times I wasn’t sure if I would succeed and moments when I wondered whether the success was worth the stress. However, the motive that helped carry me to the feat was the promise of making my late grandfather proud. Growing up in a home where my father was in and out of the picture, I grew a strong attachment to my grandfather, who was active in the military for over twenty years. He would motivate me to prioritize my academics and participate in numerous athletic activities like swimming, taekwondo, baseball, and basketball. His passing left me empty at a young age, and I would soon become unmotivated to participate in the activities we shared a love for. My mom soon filled his role and encouraged me to focus on my education.
I began to exceed my peers, particularly in mathematics, where I was taking a tenth-grade algebra class in seventh grade. It was mathematics and engineering where I would soon find my passion. In high school, I began working in a locomotive shop during the summertime, where I became fascinated with computer systems in cars and mechanical work. Throughout each school year, I would find myself partaking in numerous clubs due to my many interests. I joined the Beta Club, National Honor Society, National Math Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, National Computer Science Honor Society, Student Government, School Spirit Clubs, Principal Committee, Varsity Baseball, Marching Band, and Jazz Band. These clubs connected me with many peers and helped me understand who I was and what my goals were in my life. With the help of my advanced school achievements and my passion for engineering, I would work my way to being admitted to the Georgia Institute of Technology for Computer and Electrical Engineering.
With my college education, I plan on joining internships to hopefully get an engineering contract with a larger company, preferably in the automobile business. If not, I would love to become a contracting engineer for the Army or Air Force and then move on to larger job opportunities. Eventually, I hope to get into entrepreneurship and philanthropy with the skills I will develop throughout my career path.
Recently, I was overwhelmed with the stresses of the end of my high school career and the journey into my college career. To alleviate my anxiety, I decided to volunteer at Camp 323, an organization at my local church, to spread the word of God to kids in the area. It was an enriching experience that brought me closer to my community and my faith. Given such, I aim to participate in philanthropy later in my life which will bring similar opportunities to the youth.
Although I have had many achievements throughout high school, the amount of grants gifted to me falls very short of the amount needed to attend such a prestigious institution. Thus, this scholarship would help me generously in reaching my goals of continuing my education and giving back to my community, which has made me who I am today.
