The Jim Maxwell Memorial Scholarship uniquely encourages students to share their faith in God. Receiving this scholarship would let me pursue my calling to grief counseling without financial strain on my husband and I. I want to faithfully follow where Christ is leading me. I have been a Christian my entire life. I always thought I had a strong faith, but on May 11th, 2024, I faced the greatest challenge of my life. I lost my father tragically to a hit-and-run driver, while he was cycling. My father was an avid cyclist and always said he felt closest to God when he rode. The moment I found out he had been killed, my entire life felt like it shattered. He was my best friend, my protection, and my spiritual leader. Despite facing such a great evil, I never lost faith in God. Since losing my father, my faith has only grown. I saw the deepest grief and trauma in myself and my family. In the weeks after my father’s death, I had to feed my mother because she couldn’t feed herself. Those nights broke my heart. She was so broken, she doubted God, and was extremely angry with him. There were many times that I felt the Holy Spirit speak through me to my mother—an experience I had never had before. In those dark moments, I know God used me to comfort both her and myself. When my father was hit, he was left on the side of the road. Tall weeds grew all along the side of that road; they reached nearly four feet tall. But the one patch where my dad lay grew beautiful purple flowers. Of all of the spots on this road, he lay in the flowers. A month later, my mother told me a story. A few months before my father died, she was discussing what to plant in her garden with him. My father had told her that the purple flowers she chose were beautiful and that he had never seen them before. Those very flowers that he laid in when he died were now growing all over my mother’s garden. They bloomed tall and bright. Her garden overflowed with them; they engulfed every other flower she had planted. That was the first miracle I had ever seen. In that moment, I knew God was with us and that my father was resting with him in Heaven. Evil will never overcome the Goodness and the Glory of God. Because of the tragedy of losing my father, I began attending grief counseling. I had never been to therapy before, and I was quite nervous. In my second session with my therapist, she told me I would make a wonderful counselor. I was greatly upset by this. I did not want to hear that; I wanted my grief to be fixed by her, not to find a job. But I kept going back. Slowly, my heart softened, and it felt like scales had fallen from my eyes. One day, she described her job to me, saying, “I am the GPS, you are the driver. I can’t fix anyone’s grief, my job is just to sit with them in it.” My favorite verse in the Bible has always been, “Jesus wept” John 11:35. Christ sits by us in our grief. I am called to do the same. I want to become a grief counselor to honor my father and use what the enemy meant for evil in my life to share the Goodness of God.

My life changed forever on May 11, 2024. Early that morning, I got a call from my mom to come home. When I arrived, I found my mom and siblings outside, weeping. My dad had gone cycling that morning and was found on the side of the road. He was hit by a hit-and-run driver and was pronounced dead on the scene. Never in my life could I have imagined a more horrific thing to happen to my sweet father. My family was shattered. We could hardly believe the reality we were facing. The challenges we would have to overcome, the grief we had to bear, and the trauma that would follow. My dad was the sole provider for my family, supporting my stay-at-home mom and siblings for 25 years. I am the middle of five children and lost my dad when I was just 19 years old. My dad was my best friend. Every single seat at his funeral was taken. He was deeply loved by his family, cycling group, coworkers, bosses, church, and friends. His intelligence and creativity blew the minds of everyone he met. August 14th, 2025, over a year after he was killed, the man who killed him was sentenced to 15 years in prison. My family and I, through the heaviest grief, fought for justice for my dad. The day of the trial was the hardest day since losing my dad. The weight of being in the same room as the man who killed my father crushed me. My dad always protected me from all the evil of this world, but now I was faced with it head-on. My dad always had an unwavering faith; nothing could weaken it. My prayer is that one day the man who killed my dad can experience the freedom found in Jesus. I know my dad would have that same prayer. Despite only getting 19 short years with my dad, I hope to imitate him closely for the rest of my life. His curiosity, drive, love, intelligence, and strength, I hope to reflect it all. He supported me and was deeply interested in all of my hobbies and career. Before he died, I had become a personal trainer, something I had worked towards for years, and he had been right beside me throughout. I couldn’t bear returning to that career since I lost him. But I know, despite the many challenges of life, God has a good plan. After losing my dad, I began attending grief therapy. I had never been to therapy, and I was certain it was a waste of my time. I thought, “It won’t bring my dad back, so what’s the point?” But I was mistaken, it did help. It didn’t bring him back, but it opened my eyes. I was able to open up about my grief. My therapist pointed me back to God when I couldn’t find him. She listened, and so did I. Early on, she told me that I should consider becoming a counselor. One day, she said, “I can’t fix anyone’s grief; my job is just to sit with them through it. I am the GPS, you are the driver.” From that moment on, I knew this was where God wanted me. I know the grief and I have a heart to listen and sit alongside those grieving. My dad would be beyond proud to see me pursuing my degree in counseling. My deepest desire is to live a life honoring my dad’s life and using his story to uplift the broken-hearted.

My life changed forever on May 11, 2024. Early that morning, I got a call from my mom to come home. When I arrived, I found my mom and siblings outside, weeping. My dad had gone cycling that morning and was found on the side of the road. He was hit by a hit-and-run driver and was pronounced dead on the scene. Never in my life could I have imagined a more horrific thing to happen to my sweet father. My family was shattered. We could hardly believe the reality we were facing. The challenges we would have to overcome, the grief we had to bear, and the trauma that would follow. My dad was the sole provider for my family, supporting my stay-at-home mom and siblings for 25 years. I am the middle of five children and lost my dad when I was just 19 years old. My dad was my best friend. Every single seat at his funeral was taken. He was deeply loved by his family, cycling group, coworkers, bosses, church, and friends. His intelligence and creativity blew the minds of everyone he met. August 14th, 2025, over a year after he was killed, the man who killed him was sentenced to 15 years in prison. My family and I, through the heaviest grief, fought for justice for my dad. The day of the trial was the hardest day since losing my dad. The weight of being in the same room as the man who killed my father crushed me. My dad always protected me from all the evil of this world, but now I was faced with it head-on. My dad always had an unwavering faith; nothing could weaken it. My prayer is that one day the man who killed my dad can experience the freedom found in Jesus. I know my dad would have that same prayer. Despite only getting 19 short years with my dad, I hope to imitate him closely for the rest of my life. His curiosity, drive, love, intelligence, and strength, I hope to reflect it all. He supported me and was deeply interested in all of my hobbies and career. Before he died, I had become a personal trainer, something I had worked towards for years, and he had been right beside me throughout. I couldn’t bear returning to that career since I lost him. But I know, despite the many challenges of life, God has a good plan. After losing my dad, I began attending grief therapy. I had never been to therapy, and I was certain it was a waste of my time. I thought, “It won’t bring my dad back, so what’s the point?” But I was mistaken, it did help. It didn’t bring him back, but it opened my eyes. I was able to open up about my grief. My therapist pointed me back to God when I couldn’t find him. She listened, and so did I. Early on, she told me that I should consider becoming a counselor. One day, she said, “I can’t fix anyone’s grief; my job is just to sit with them through it. I am the GPS, you are the driver.” From that moment on, I knew this was where God wanted me. I know the grief and I have a heart to listen and sit alongside those grieving. My dad would be beyond proud to see me pursuing my degree in counseling. My deepest desire is to live a life honoring my dad’s life and using his story to uplift the broken-hearted.