Hello. My name is Ella Gerlach and I am a senior studying Global Studies at my university. Growing up, my mother was always telling me to treat others how I would like to be treated. One thing that she loved to say was, “Kindness matters”. Even though this is such a small, short saying, it has shaped my own personality as well as how I view success and capabilities of others. I would say that this constant saying being spoken over me throughout my life has shaped the skills that I have now. For example, I love interacting and having conversations with people of all ages and of all different backgrounds. I find it easy to talk to others and love to hear their own stories and experiences in life. I am also a very hard worker and am passionate about my studies and my work. I believe this has also stemmed from my mother and her influence on my life. She was a very driven woman who earned her doctorate all while having 4 children to take care of under the age of 10. Her passion and dedication for the things that she loves has been passed down to me. As mentioned before, I am studying Global Studies with an emphasis in Children at Risk. I hope to eventually work with an anti-human trafficking organization after graduating. This has been my dream and passion since I was 13 years old after attending a conference with my mom. I am currently working as an Intern for the summer at an organization that fights against the criminalization of survivors of human trafficking in the United States. The experience and opportunities that I have been given while working here have been amazing. My knowledge around this topic has grown and expanded. I feel as though I have grown as a person as well through this experience. Learning about all the ways human trafficking makes its way into the world has motivated me even more to finish my education and receive my degree. I am so excited to use the skills that I have learned over the years to help others who have been abused and used by others. I am so excited to continue growing and maturing my own knowledge and skill set over the next year to help prepare me better for my future. Without the words spoken over my life by my mother, I do not know where I would be today.

Hello. My name is Ella Gerlach and I am a senior at my university. I am currently working on my Bachelor in Global Studies with a focus on Children at Risk. My dream would be to work with a non-profit organization that fights against human trafficking on all levels. For the past couple of months, I have been trying to figure out a way to tie my passion for soccer and my passion for anti-human trafficking together as sports globally play a huge role in trafficking. This scholarship will help me with my studies as I am now a dependent after my parents cut ties with me, leaving me alone to pay for my education. I have struggled to come up with ideas on how to pay for the remainder of my time at my university. However, finishing school is my main focus as of late and even in one of the most challenging years of my life, I have managed to obtain a 3.8 GPA for both semesters. Please take me into consideration for this scholarship as it would be most beneficial for my education. Thank you!

Hello. My name is Ella Gerlach and I am a senior in college working to get my undergraduate in Global Studies. I come from a middle, military class family. Growing up, we were living comfortably with still some money scarceness. My family and I had a very good relationship and I was close with all my siblings. As I got older, however, my dad moved up in his career, setting my family up for what seemed to be success. Over the past year, due to a personal belief leading me to come out to my family, my parents have disowned me. This has left me alone to complete my education and pay my education and personal bills. Throughout this year, I have been extremely anxious about how to pay for my education which I hold dearly. My dream would be to graduate from university and pursue my master's degree in Global Justice and Development. I believe that I have a calling to help human trafficking survivors after I graduate. This field of work has been in my heart since I was 13. I first heard about the evils of human trafficking at a conference put on by the founder of an organization that fights to end modern-day slavery. Over this year, this passion of mine did not dwindle. Instead, it has set me out to become more driven in my studies which has led me to be on the Dean's List for my high GPA. Not only have I struggled with not having a relationship with my family anymore but it has also been a struggle for me in my faith. I believe that I can carry out my faith and my sexuality together even though I have been told I have to choose one or the other. I have also struggled with injuries from being a student-athlete as well. Through all of these obstacles that have occurred in a year, I have still fought hard for my education, athletes, and friendships. I have been in counselling that has been provided through my school which I am utterly grateful for. I am also currently doing a summer internship with a non-profit that fights against sex trafficking and the criminalization of these survivors instead of their accusers. I am excited as to what God has for me in my future and I hope my education and skills will prepare me for the best in this line of work.

When I was 13, I fell into a dark hole of depression and anxiety which led to thoughts and almost attempts to end my own life. This eventually led to an eating disorder which has affected me to some degree to this day. After about two years of dealing with this by myself, I ultimately told someone I trusted the most in my life, my mother. We worked together to get a healthy mindset through counselling and talking together. Through counselling and eventually telling my closest friends, I realised how important it is to speak up about mental health. It set me back mentally and I was stuck until I spoke up. Over the years, I have shaped how I interact with others, even strangers. I do not want anyone to have to go through the thoughts and feelings that I thought. We never know what others are going through and offering a kind smile to a stranger we pass on the street could do for that person. This experience in my life has brought more meaning to my own life and my relationships with my friends and with my girlfriend. I think talking about such things brings awareness and understanding to others.

My name is Ella Gerlach and I am currently working on my Bachelors in Global Studies, emphasising Children at Risk. Before I attended Multnomah University, I completed my associates while I was still in high school. While I was also working on my associate's as well as my high school diploma, I was a nanny and also worked in a coffee shop on top of being a Program Assistant for an after-school program during the summers. The after-school program, Leaven Kids, also had a summer program that ran for seven weeks. During my high school years, I had to learn how to balance two or three jobs at one time while also being a part of my high school cross country and track team. Through my own mistakes, I had to learn not to procrastinate and to ask either my teachers or coaches for help when needed. This pushed me to not only receive high honours but also dream big dreams for myself. In between graduating high school and my first year at my current university, I took a gap year in England. This program was a Bible-focused program called Capernwary Bible School. During this time, I was able to look at a different form of education that I had not done before. My faith grew and so did my confidence in myself to keep pushing through the challenges that I faced in life. I developed deep connections with the people I came in contact with there. Since attending Multnomah University, I have continued to push myself in new ways such as collegiate running and receiving a 3.8 GPA in both semesters. I am also working two jobs on campus, one in Spiritual Life and the other in Athletics. Again, working two jobs on top of being a student-athlete has taught me how to balance things in my life. This year has brought many challenges in my life and being able to continue with my education and my running has been a struggle but also so rewarding. As I continue forward and get closer to graduating, my motivation grows stronger. My dream is to work with human trafficking victims and to help create a better life for them. I have felt called to this field of work since I was in 8th grade. I hope that I can be a light to others and show them how much they are loved and treasured.

I have been a Christian for about 16 years now. I gave my life to God when I was 4 years old but had a very shallow and distant relationship with Him until about two years ago. I attended a Bible school program in England called Capernwray Bible School. My knowledge of the Bible and my understanding of it was expanded in so many different ways through this program. Through going to lectures with different speakers each week having group studies and building friendships, I was able to experience God's love on a more personal level. My childhood was not perfect on any level and I had this skewed idea of who God was and how powerful He was. I saw Him as a distant god, not one who wants a personal relationship with His children. Through this expansion of my knowledge and understanding of my faith, I have been able to experience His love on a much deeper level. It has brought me through some really difficult challenges that I have faced during my first year at my university. I know that I am not alone in the things that I struggle with and no matter what Satan has to tell me, God speaks over those lies and deceits. God has led me to a place where I feel called to help those who have been or who are still in human trafficking. I believe that there is a need for awareness and help in this area. I am currently studying Global Studies with an emphasis on Children at Risk. I hope to continue my knowledge by getting a Master's in this field as well so that I may do well in my field of work. There are so many ways I could pursue this field of work but one in particular way has been in my head for the past few months. I am also an athlete at my university and have a passion for sports. There are many large competitions (Super Bowl, The World Cup, The Olympics, etc.) that are known to be huge targets for trafficking opportunities as they attract people from all areas of life. I would love to be able to bring awareness during these events and work with different organizations to make them accessible and successful. I know that God has so much for me in the future and I am so excited to see how He uses me.

I recently came out to my family in March of this year. I had known I was bisexual for about a year and I had been dating my girlfriend for about 2 weeks. It was a rather unexpected time as I wanted a longer period to gather my thoughts and not rush into telling my family as they are very conservative when it comes to these things. My parents immediately attempted to pull me out of my university by sending me home after my brother had told them I was in danger if I were to stay with my girlfriend. Mind you, my girlfriend is one of the most loving people I have ever known and I have not been happier. I went home in hopes of having a civil conversation with my parents. However, it did not go the way I wanted it to. My parents disowned me and I have very limited contact with them and hardly any with my siblings. I was lucky enough to return to my university and have been quite stressed in finding ways to financially support myself and finish my university. I have one year left of my undergrad and a year after that to do my Masters. I could not have received more love from my friends and community at my university. They have been so supportive and helpful when all this happened. I have been working harder at my goals, in my academics and my athletics. I am currently studying global studies with an emphasis on children at risk. My dream would be to work with an anti-human trafficking organization internationally and also tie in sports with that. People either know about human trafficking and do nothing about it or they just really do not know the details of it. My goal is to help people understand the implications of this horrible business and to also help those who are in it.

Hello. My name is Ella Gerlach and I am a junior in college. I am on the cross-country team at my university and the track and field team. Some of my passions are running, reading, expanding my knowledge through learning, and spending time with loved ones. I also enjoy spending time outside in nature, whether that is going for a walk/hike or taking my studies outside. A positive impact that I had on my community was when I hosted an event against human trafficking during my senior year of high school. An international organization called A21 hosts a worldwide event called "Walk for Freedom" which peacefully spreads awareness for this issue. As someone who wants to work with fighting against human trafficking, this was an extraordinary event for me. My goal for this event was to have a small population of my fellow students attend this walk and expand their knowledge of human trafficking and what it is. I learned that a good amount of people my age do not know what human trafficking is. As the days were counting down, I got quite nervous that I was going to not be successful in hitting my goal. However, when the day came for the event, I was happily surprised as to how many people came in support. We had signs and walked to our town hall. Along the way, we had drivers and other walkers stop us to ask about our mission. It was a very fulfilling opportunity to educate people in my community on an issue that meant so much to me personally. In total, about 20 people attended which was not a lot but it meant more than anything to me. My goal in life is to now make more people aware and conscious of the evils that happen to vulnerable people. I believe this event has helped motivate me to continue in my studies and has helped me shape my own views. With the support of those 20 people, I was able to call this event a success in my community. We were able to share our motives with the people whom we passed on the streets and make my community aware as well. With the social media posts and announcements hanging around my high school and community, even the people who did not attend were still affected whenever they saw the published writings. I could not have been happier with myself in this turnout.