My whole body was blue from a lack of oxygen. I was three years old, 16 pounds, and had an unrepaired heart when I was rescued by a loving Christian couple. My adoptive mother bought me two pearl bracelets, one to fit me then and the other to fit as an adult. My parents are wonderful people who adopted me, gave me the health care I needed, the love of family, and, most importantly, a Christian foundation. However, my health would not be fully restored after one surgery. I would eventually have a total of seven surgeries. As a child, I resented having so many health issues. I look back and see that God used this to shape my character and to trust Him with my physical health. In kindergarten, in a childlike manner, I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior and was baptized that summer. It was not until 8th grade, after a classmate of mine had died from cancer, that I understood the depth of having a relationship with God. Ava was diagnosed in 7th grade. At that time, another boy at our school was also diagnosed with cancer, and he survived. So I assumed God would give her a miracle too. Three months before the end of 8th grade, I was told she only had a few months left to live. After Ava died, I was shattered, questioning God’s goodness and why there was so much suffering. Looking back, God showed me the Christian walk requires full dependence on Him, and the suffering God allows is never meaningless. God uses suffering to shape our character and to draw us closer to Him. The doctrine of the hidden and revealed will of God has also helped me come to terms with the fact that there are some things He will not reveal this side of heaven, yet He turns what was meant for evil for good. Over the years, because of my health problems and learning disabilities, I have struggled in school. However, along the way, I have had many teachers who have encouraged me and helped me discover my passions. In third grade, I still remember my teacher saying how she was proud of me for completing the reading challenge. I soon discovered reading was not a mundane school assignment but a chance to escape into fantastical worlds. Throughout my time in high school, I have questioned aspects of my faith and doctrines. Bible teachers have encouraged me to wrestle with my questions, given me tools, and ultimately urged me to seek God through prayer. While doubt is not always good, God has used it to draw me closer to Him. I believe I have been called to teach teenagers the Bible, whether in a church or school setting, because Christ gives purpose, hope, and moral direction for one’s life. However, having a career in education or church ministry will not provide significant financial support. My parents, who have three other children, including one with severe special needs, cannot contribute as much as they would like because my dad has been out of work for over three years, but as Christians, we believe that money is not the purpose of our lives. Our purpose is to glorify God in all we do. Yet wisdom in where I invest my money and time is essential. Receiving the Pastor Thomas Rorie Jr. Christian Values Scholarship would help me subsidize my education and make my dream of teaching possible. I want to pursue a career working with teenagers because adolescence is one of the most challenging yet formative years of life. some of the hardest but most formative years. Yet, I have had the blessing of wonderful teachers who have poured into my life, and I want to walk alongside the next generation through their joys and sorrows. Reflecting on my childhood, I see how God has used suffering and challenges to instill resilience, compassion, a love of learning, and humility in me. I have been poured into; now it is my turn to pour into the next generation. The pearl bracelet my adoptive mom gave me no longer fits—I have grown into the bigger bracelet.

My whole body was blue from a lack of oxygen. I was three years old, 16 pounds, and had an unrepaired heart when I was rescued by a loving Christian couple. My adoptive mother bought me two pearl bracelets, one to fit me then and the other to fit as an adult. My parents are wonderful people who adopted me, gave me the health care I needed, the love of family, and, most importantly, a Christian foundation. However, my health would not be fully restored after one surgery. I would eventually have a total of seven surgeries. As a child, I resented having so many health issues. I look back and see that God used this to shape my character and to trust Him with my physical health. In kindergarten, in a childlike manner, I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior and was baptized that summer. It was not until 8th grade, after a classmate of mine had died from cancer, that I understood the depth of having a relationship with God. Ava was diagnosed in 7th grade. At that time, another boy at our school was also diagnosed with cancer, and he survived. So I assumed God would give her a miracle too. Three months before the end of 8th grade, I was told she only had a few months left to live. After Ava died, I was shattered, questioning God’s goodness and why there was so much suffering. God uses suffering to shape our character and to draw us closer to Him. The doctrine of the hidden and revealed will of God has also helped me come to terms with the fact that there are some things He will not reveal this side of heaven, yet He turns what was meant for evil for good. Over the years, because of my learning disabilities, I have struggled academically and with the insecurities that come with them. However, the blessing of wonderful teachers who saw my potential, even when I did not, has sparked my desire to become a teacher. I hope to become an upper school humanities teacher because stories have always captivated me and taught me something new about life, rather than lectures. As a humanities teacher, I hope to cultivate a learning environment where students can learn through different mediums, without feeling ashamed of the style they learn, and foster a genuine love of learning.  Reflecting on my childhood, God has used suffering and different challenges to instill resilience, compassion, a deep love of learning, and humility. I have been poured into; now it is my turn to pour into the next generation. The pearl bracelet from my childhood no longer fits—I have grown into the bigger bracelet.

My whole body was blue from lack of oxygen. Because of China’s one-child policy, I was abandoned with a severe cardiovascular disease and raised in an orphanage for the first three years of my life. At three years old, a loving Christian couple adopted me. My adoptive mother bought me two pearl bracelets, one to fit me then and another to fit me as an adult. Growing up, my parents were always open about my adoption and their love for me. As a little kid, I would tell my friends at school with pride about my adoption story. However, I never truly thought deeply about its significance. In middle school, my family went to a Chinese restaurant. There, the waiter told me something I would never forget: “You are very fortunate to live in America; people in China, especially women, do not have the same opportunities as those living in America.” At first, I did not really think about this comment. Looking back, I see how important my adoption was to me. Xiao Ning was abandoned, but Audrey was chosen and loved. For most of my early teen years, I viewed my adoption as a past I never wanted to revisit and rejected the culture that caused it. Yet I remained immensely grateful for the loving family God placed me in. I have matured from that view. I now believe that Xiao Ning, which means “little peaceful or calm,” was abandoned with no memory or gift of remembrance from her biological family, but in a way, God used it as a merciful gift. Xiao Ning is still a part of me. As I enter a different stage of life, I desire to learn more about my heritage. Over the years, because of my learning disabilities, I have struggled academically and with the insecurities that come with them. However, the blessing of wonderful teachers who saw my potential, even when I did not, has sparked my desire to become a teacher. I hope to become an upper school humanities teacher because stories have always captivated me and taught me something new. As a humanities teacher, I hope to create a classroom that adapts to different learning needs and nurtures a genuine love of learning so that they can explore who they are. Audrey means noble strength. Through the challenges of my childhood and teen years, the grace and strength I have learned will carry me as I step into adulthood. Reflecting on my childhood, I see how God has used suffering and challenges to instill resilience, compassion, a love of learning, and humility in me. I have been poured into; now it is my turn to pour into the next generation. The pearl bracelet my adoptive mom gave me no longer fits—I have grown into the bigger bracelet.

My whole body was blue from lack of oxygen. At three years old, I weighed 16 pounds and had an unrepaired heart defect when a loving Christian couple adopted me. My mother bought me two pearl bracelets, one to fit me then and another to fit me as an adult. My parents are wonderful people who adopted me, provided the health care I needed, and gave me the love of a family. As a child, I resented having so many health issues and often wished to be as physically capable as my classmates, but by the time I was fully repaired, it was too late to join a competitive sport. Looking back, I see that God used this to shape my character and teach me to trust Him with my physical health. In the fall of seventh grade, a classmate I had known since kindergarten was diagnosed with cancer. At that time, another boy at our school was also diagnosed with cancer and survived. So I assumed God would give her a miracle too. Three months before the end of 8th grade, I was told she only had a few months left to live. After Ava died, I questioned God’s goodness and why there was so much suffering. For a long time, I struggled to accept God's choice to take her and to let go of the regret I felt for not getting to know her better. Her family started En Pointe For Ava that fall. I immediately signed up to help. For the past four years, I have helped with every event and hope to do so for as long as I can. In a way, helping with En Pointe For Ava has helped me heal and support Ava’s grieving family. Over the years, because of my health problems, I have struggled in school, yet many teachers have encouraged me and helped me discover my passions. In third grade, I remember my teacher saying she was proud of me for completing the reading challenge. I soon realized that reading was not just a mundane school assignment but a chance to escape into fantastical worlds. In my sophomore year, a new English teacher and a new rigorous liberal arts curriculum at the school transformed how I read and think. I learned that good reading means slowing down, reflecting deeply, and returning to a text to uncover new insights. This teacher showed me that resilience is formed not just in life’s major crises but also in everyday moments. Despite having learning disabilities, I have been able to thrive academically. I have a GPA of 4.35, have taken several honors classes and a couple of AP classes, and, outside of class, have read complex works of literature. I desire to pursue a career in Christian education because the adolescent years are some of the hardest, as I struggled to figure out who I am. Yet, I have had the blessing of wonderful teachers who have poured into my life, and I want to walk alongside the next generation through their joys and sorrows. Reflecting on my childhood, I see how God used suffering and challenges to instill resilience, compassion, a love of learning, and humility in me. I have been poured into; now it is my turn to pour into the next generation. The pearl bracelet from my childhood no longer fits—I have grown into the bigger bracelet.

In 2010, I was a sickly little girl who was adopted from China. I was three years old, 16 pounds, and had an unrepaired heart. My adoptive mother bought me two pearl bracelets, one to fit me then and the other to fit as an adult. My parents are wonderful people who adopted me, gave me the health care I needed, the love of family, and, most importantly, a Christian foundation. However, my health would not be fully restored after one surgery. I would eventually have a total of seven surgeries: three heart surgeries, two eye muscle surgeries, and two surgeries for a feeding tube. As a child, I resented having so many health issues, and sometimes I still do. I look back and see that God used this to shape my character and to trust Him with my physical health. In kindergarten in a childlike manner, I accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, and was baptised that summer. It was not until 8th grade, after a classmate of mine had died from cancer, that I made my relationship with Jesus truly mine. Ava was diagnosed in 7th grade. At that time, another boy at our school was also diagnosed with cancer, and he survived. So I assumed God would give her a miracle too. Three months before the end of 8th grade, I was told she only had a few months left to live. Watching Ava’s best friend suffer, who was also one of my best friends, has been one of the hardest things to witness. After Ava died, I questioned God’s goodness and why there was so much suffering. Looking back, I see that God used this experience to help me truly begin believing in Him and taught me that God never allows suffering to be meaningless. God uses it to shape our character and to draw us closer to Him (Romans 5:3-5). The doctrine of the hidden/revealed will of God has also helped me come to terms. I have come to accept that there is something He will not reveal this side of heaven, yet He turns what was meant for evil into good. Throughout my time in high school, I have questioned things about my faith. Having Bible teachers, whom I greatly respect, has encouraged me to wrestle with my questions and seek God through prayer. While doubt is not always good, God has used it to draw me closer to Him. From being an older sister and cousin, I believe I have been called to teach teenagers the Bible. To teach them how they can know, and fall more in love with Jesus Christ our Savior. Having wonderful teachers pour into my life and always having younger people looking up to me has confirmed that I desire to teach, whether in a church or school setting. As I enter college, I plan to read the Bible daily and get involved in a biblically faithful church, whether through life groups or by volunteering in youth ministry. In my free time, I enjoy reading theology and other Bible-related topics, as I believe this helps me grow in my understanding of God and deepen my relationship with Him. Reflecting back on my childhood, God has used suffering and different challenges to instill resilience, compassion, a deep love of learning, and humility. I have been poured into; now it is my turn to pour into the next generation. The pearl bracelet I had as a little girl no longer fits me; I have grown into the bigger bracelet.