I grew up in a Christian home and went to church every week but I didn’t accept Jesus as my savior until I was nine years old. I was baptized later that year in a swimming pool at a Family Camp. Since then, I have seen God do some amazing things in my life. For the first couple years after I became a Christian, I struggled with fear and anxiety and I had a really hard time during Covid which ultimately ended in me learning where to place my hope and my trust. One of the most incredible things God has done in my life started during Covid and continues to this day. My great-grandma and her younger sister were both sign language interpreters in the 1900s and in 2020, I realized that I had the same passion. I began to teach myself American Sign Language through YouTube as a project to stay busy. I quickly fell in love with the language and the culture. Since then I have taken all three years of ASL through a virtual school, helped at two Deaf camps, am being mentored by an interpreter, going to Deaf Church twice a month, and attending as many other Deaf events as I can. I plan on becoming an ASL interpreter and want to assist in bridging the gap between the hearing and Deaf worlds by helping to create a more inclusive environment for those who are often on the fringes of society. I also plan on doing Deaf ministry since they are one of the most unreached people groups in the world. Though the Deaf world is where my true passion lies, God has also given me a heart for children, especially foster children, and children who have one or more parents incarcerated. My family has been a foster family for 18 years so I’ve been exposed to it all my life. For five summers now, I have served as a counselor and Bible teacher at a church camp in Arkansas that provides a week of camp to children of prisoners, and for two years, I was a support staff at a foster kids camp. While having the privilege of working with these special campers, I’ve come to realize how much God is in control and how He uses unlikely people to accomplish His will. I’ve also been able to work with Child Evangelism Fellowship for several years and volunteer at Good News Clubs, which are after-school clubs that teach children about Jesus. When I was 15 my mom and I were able to go on a mission trip to Africa and visit some of our friends who are missionaries there and understand what life is like for them. I gained a greater knowledge of how to pray for fellow believers worldwide and realized that missionary work isn’t really about where you go but about your availability to serve in the situations and opportunities that God calls you to. Next year I plan on receiving an immersive, bilingual education at Gallaudet University in Washington DC (the only Deaf university in the world!). This will allow me to establish personal connections within the Deaf community and gain experiences in understanding the Deaf culture - something that can’t be accomplished at any other university. Being awarded the RJ Memorial Scholarship will help financially enable me to obtain my degree in ASL Interpretation and will take me one step further in my goal of becoming a licensed American Sign Language Interpreter, empowering me to change the world for good.

My chosen college major and future career choice is American Sign Language Interpretation. Over the years, I have learned a lot about sacrifice and service from my family. My dad’s parents sacrificed a “normal” and “easy” life by becoming foster parents to over 300 children and eventually adopting eight kids in 38 years. Their selfless example encouraged my parents to eventually become foster parents as well! Because of their sacrificial choice to foster, I have had over 40 foster siblings and now have three adopted younger brothers. In addition to my family's involvement in the foster parenting world, my dad’s grandma and great-aunt were both sign language interpreters in the 1960s-1990s. I grew up knowing this, but it wasn’t until 2020 that I discovered I had the same passion. That year, as a project to keep my mind occupied when the world was shut down from COVID-19, I began learning American Sign Language using YouTube. The next year I took ASL 1 through a virtual school during ninth grade and then completed ASL 2 and 3 in tenth grade. This combination of exposure and education led me to fall in love with the Deaf culture and their language and it was then that I felt motivated to become an interpreter. American Sign Language interpreters have an essential job. They are entrusted with correctly communicating information by translating one language to another with unbelievable speed. If they don’t understand the first language sufficiently or fail to present it accurately in the intended language, there can be negative consequences and lives could be endangered. I understand that interpreting is a monumental task and a much-needed profession; those are two reasons I am motivated to fill that role. I want to assist in bridging the gap between the hearing and Deaf worlds by helping to create a more inclusive environment for those who are often on the fringes of society. As I finish up my last year of high school, finding motivation has been essential. My goal is to understand not only the Deaf community’s language but also their culture, traditions, and heart. Several times I have felt like giving up – learning another language and culture is hard work and exhausting! During those times I have had to keep reminding myself of my goal, which has always encouraged me to keep going. I am continuing to improve my ASL skills with the help of my mentor and I am also taking part in a number of activities and events within my local Deaf community and am participating in online classes. This summer, I had the privilege of volunteering as a day counselor at the Arkansas School for the Deaf during their summer camp and as a counselor at DeafQuake, a Christian Camp for Deaf kids and teens in Alabama, all to prepare me for my future. This time I have prioritized spending on improving my ASL skills and learning more about the Deaf community has been a sacrifice but well worth the effort! Next year I plan on receiving an immersive, bilingual education at Gallaudet University in Washington DC (the only Deaf university in the world!). This will allow me to establish personal connections within the Deaf community and gain experiences in understanding the Deaf culture - something that can’t be accomplished at any other university. Being awarded the Ken Larson Memorial Scholarship will help financially enable me to obtain my degree in ASL Interpretation and will take me one step further in my goal of becoming a licensed American Sign Language Interpreter, empowering me to change the world for good.

My career of choice is that of an American Sign Language Interpreter. Over the years, I have learned a lot about sacrifice and service from my family. My dad’s parents sacrificed a “normal” and “easy” life by becoming foster parents to over 300 children and eventually adopting eight kids in 38 years. Their selfless example encouraged my parents to eventually become foster parents as well! Because of their sacrificial choice to foster, I have had over 40 foster siblings and now have three adopted brothers. In addition to our family's involvement in the foster parenting world, my dad’s grandma and great-aunt were both sign language interpreters in the 1960s-1990s. I grew up knowing this, but it wasn’t until 2020 that I discovered I had the same passion. That year, as a project to keep my mind occupied when the world was shut down from COVID-19, I began learning American Sign Language using YouTube. The next year I took ASL 1 through a virtual school during ninth grade and then completed ASL 2 and 3 in tenth grade. This combination of exposure and education led me to fall in love with the Deaf culture and their language and it was then that I felt motivated to become an interpreter. American Sign Language interpreters have an essential job. They are entrusted with correctly communicating information by translating one language to another with unbelievable speed. If they don’t understand the first language sufficiently or fail to present it accurately in the intended language, there can be negative consequences and lives could be endangered. I understand that interpreting is a monumental task and a much-needed profession; those are two reasons I am motivated to fill that role. I want to assist in bridging the gap between the hearing and Deaf worlds by helping to create a more inclusive environment for those who are often on the fringes of society. As I finish up my last year of high school, finding motivation has been essential. My goal is to understand not only the Deaf community’s language but also their culture, traditions, and heart. Several times I have felt like giving up – learning another language and culture is hard work and exhausting! During those times I have had to keep reminding myself of my goal, which has always encouraged me to keep going. I am continuing to improve my ASL skills with the help of my mentor and I am also taking part in a number of activities and events within my local Deaf community and am participating in online classes. This summer, I had the privilege of volunteering as a day counselor at the Arkansas School for the Deaf during their summer camp and as a counselor at DeafQuake, a Christian Camp for Deaf kids and teens in Alabama, all to prepare me for my future. This time I have prioritized spending on improving my ASL skills and learning more about the Deaf community has been a sacrifice but well worth the effort! Next year I plan on receiving an immersive, bilingual education at Gallaudet University in Washington DC (the only Deaf university in the world!). This will allow me to establish personal connections within the Deaf community and gain experiences in understanding the Deaf culture - something that can’t be accomplished at any other university. Being awarded the Kerry Kennedy Life Is Good Scholarship will help financially enable me to obtain my degree in ASL Interpretation and will take me one step further in my lifelong journey of becoming a licensed American Sign Language Interpreter, empowering me to change the world for good.

For the past few years, I have dreamed of becoming a sign language interpreter. But why am I drawn to this profession? Until 2020 came around and Covid happened, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. That year, though, as a project to keep my mind occupied, I began teaching myself American Sign Language and would sign songs at our church once a month. During my ninth-grade year, I took ASL 1 through a virtual school and then ASL 2 and 3 in tenth grade. In addition, my great-grandma and her younger sister were both sign language interpreters. That combination led me to completely fall in love with the culture and the language and feel the call to become an interpreter. The career of being an American Sign Language Interpreter is not a common one and it is not even well-known to many people what an interpreter’s job details. For example, many people think ASL interpreters know Braille! Despite popular misconceptions, interpreters have a very important job. They are entrusted with correctly communicating information from one language to another with unbelievable speed. If they don’t understand the first language sufficiently or fail to present it accurately in the intended language, there can be big consequences and lives could be endangered. I want to help bridge the gap between the hearing and Deaf worlds, to create a more inclusive environment for a people group who are often on the fringes of society. I don’t want to stop there, though, I want to bring something to the Deaf community that not many of them have ever had any experience with - the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a Christian, God has called me and fellow believers to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to everyone, and statistics show that the Deaf are one of the most unreached people groups in the world. As I finish up my last year of high school, I am continuing to improve my skills in ASL, be involved with the Deaf community, and take as many online classes as possible. My passion is to understand not only their language but also their culture, traditions, and heart. This summer I have had the privilege of volunteering at the Arkansas School for the Deaf during their summer camp and then later serving as a counselor at DeafQuake (a camp in Alabama). Next fall I plan on going to college at Gallaudet University (the only Deaf university in the world!) in Washington D.C. Being immersed in their lives will allow me to establish personal connections and gain experiences, something no amount of education can accomplish. There I will get my B.A. in ASL interpretation which will help prepare me academically for getting my licensing in interpretation, taking me one step further in my lifelong journey.

The dictionary definition of success is “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” Being able to succeed in today’s world is different for different people, depending on where they live and the values they and their community hold. To me, success is not only being able to achieve the goals you set for yourself but also having the wisdom to know what goals to set for yourself in the first place. During Covid, I set a goal for myself: learning ASL. Why? Well, one it was a long year and I wanted a project to work on, and two, my great grandma and her younger sister were both sign language interpreters which inspired me to become proficient in the language they loved so dearly. After being exposed to ASL and seeing the beauty in the complexity of everything related to it, I have dreamed of becoming a sign language interpreter myself. Actually, it’s deeper than that. I don’t want to simply help bridge the gap between the hearing and Deaf worlds, I want to bring something to the Deaf community that not many of them have ever had any experience with - the Gospel. As a Christian, God has called me and fellow believers to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to everyone, and the Deaf are one of the most unreached people groups in the world. The career I want to pursue is not a common one and it is not even well known what an interpreter’s job is; e.g., many people think ASL interpreters know Braille. As I finish up my last two years of high school I am continuing to master ASL and get involved with the Deaf and understand not only their language but their culture, traditions, and heart as well. College will help prepare me academically for getting my licensing in interpretation and take me one step further in my lifelong journey. Though I may not be succeeding by the world’s standards (it’s on average not a high-paying job) I know God is going to use me to impact those around me and it will be incredible in whatever way that happens. I don’t say this because of anything I can do but because I know how great the God I serve is. Along with being an interpreter, I’ve thought about what I might do with my career. My dad is the director at a Church Camp and I’ve always loved the atmosphere and memories that are associated with camp, so I might start a camp for Deaf people, enabling them to share in that experience! Another possible ministry I’ve considered is opening or helping run a home for Deaf women and girls who have been rescued from human trafficking, a problem that is on the rise today. I love the quote by Joel Osteen, “God would not have put a dream in your heart if He had not already given you everything you need to fulfill it.” Winning the Redefining Victory Scholarship will help me successfully fulfill my dream and contribute my life and skills to the world to better it for both now and eternity.

Please share how your faith has impacted your life and how you plan to use your faith to help others. 400-600 words. I grew up in a Christian home and went to church every week but I didn’t accept Jesus as my savior until I was nine years old. I was baptized later that year in a swimming pool at a Family Camp. Since then, I have seen God do some amazing things in my life. For the first couple years after I became a Christian, I struggled with fear and anxiety and I had a really hard time during Covid which ultimately ended in me learning where to place my hope and my trust. One of the most incredible things God has done in my life actually started during Covid, continues to this day, and, I hope and pray continues for the rest of my life. What God did was place a desire in my heart to work with the Deaf community and bring the Gospel to them. In 2020 I began to teach myself American Sign Language as something to do with my time and since then I have taken all three years of ASL through a virtual school and have been able to meet and practice with many Deaf people. I have been to two Deaf churches and a Deaf carnival and most recently became friends with a Deaf girl at my school. My great-grandma and her younger sister were sign language interpreters for many years and my great-aunt informed me that for over 50 years she’d been praying that someone else in the family would take up learning sign language. God answered her prayer through me even though at the time I didn’t know it! Though the Deaf world is where my true passion lies, God has also given me a heart for children, especially foster children, and children who have one or more parents incarcerated. My family has been a foster family since 2006 so I've been exposed to it all my life. For four summers now, I have been able to serve as a counselor and Bible teacher at a church camp in Arkansas that provides a week of camp to children of prisoners, and for the last two years I’ve been able to be a support staff at a foster kids camp. While having the privilege of working with these special campers, I’ve come to realize how much God is in control and how He uses unlikely people to accomplish His will. I’ve also been able to work with Child Evangelism Fellowship for several years and volunteer at Good News Clubs, which are after-school clubs that teach children about Jesus. I’ve been blessed to lead and co-lead multiple Bible studies over Zoom and in person with my friends and ladies from a church we used to attend. When I was 15 my mom and I were able to go on a mission trip to Africa and visit some of our friends who are missionaries there and really understand what life is like for them. I gained a greater knowledge of how to pray for fellow believers throughout the world and realized that missionary work isn’t really about where or who you serve but about your availability to serve in the situations and opportunities that God calls you to. If I am granted the RJ Memorial Scholarship, I will use those funds to help me pay for my college education, enabling me to gain the skills needed to become an ASL interpreter and reach the Deaf community with Christ.