Hello there, I am Jacob Hamilton. I am a God-fearing man who lives in Indiana and wants to pursue the education field. I am attending Grand Canyon University to be a history teacher, and I want to make an impact on the youth. As a kid, I wanted to help the world and spread God's good news. And I am so thankful that my pastor dad taught me what is right and what is wrong. My dad has been my role model, and I hope I can be like him someday. My testimony is a wild one. When I was 9, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had a slim chance of living. The doctors said that I would be blind, deaf, mute, and have to relearn everything. The official name of the tumor is a Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma, and I was sent to Peyton Manning Children's Hospital. Because of this, my walk with Christ has been up and down with a lot of anger and crying. However, I am now thankful for my tumor, and I truly believe that God gave me a tumor for a reason. While I was going through chemo, my teachers helped me out so much, and it inspired me. I want to be the teacher who helps all the kids out, no matter the circumstance. My goal as a future teacher is to be a beacon of light in the school that kids can come to when they are in need, as well as show the light of Christ through my work. I will share a letter from my doctor to prove that I am not lying about my medical conditions. As far as my walk with God, I plan to talk to Him every day. Even when I have so much school work and tests to study for, I will not forget Him. I plan to read my Bible every day and pray to God at least twice a day. I know it can get hard when we all have a whole life's worth of responsibilities. But, I am promising myself to have a great relationship with our Creator. I talk to God when I am driving to work, so I'll continue to do that, as well as attend church every Sunday. My parents have a bible study group on Sunday evenings, and I've been going with them for a few weeks now. My relationship with God is far more important than life's distractions. Thank you for the opportunity to apply to the Kerry Damiano/ Oasis scholarship.

My entire life has been hospital visits, surgeries, and MRIs. When I was nine years old, I was hit in the head by a kickball while I was out playing with my family. My parents thought I had a concussion and took me to the ER. At the ER, I was given a CT exam, where they saw my tumor. I was immediately sent to Peyton Manning Hospital, where I was given an MRI, and was then diagnosed with a Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma. I underwent a total of three surgeries, fourteen months of chemotherapy, and one month of radiation. Halfway through my first surgery, the doctors informed my parents that they discovered my tumor was wrapped around my optic nerve. My parents were informed that there was a very high chance I was going to come out of surgery blind and have to relearn all of my fine motor skills: writing, speaking, walking, eating, etc. Thanks to God, the only motor skill that was affected was my peripheral vision. I am now 23, and my tumor hasn't grown in 9 years, and thanks to God, I am here today. Throughout the journey of my tumor, I had a lot of hardships and built up anger against God. I would ask Him why it was me that got a brain tumor, and why it's still in my head. I know that God has a plan for me, and I believe that I still have the tumor in my head, because I was made to help kids like me. I want to be a middle school history teacher and be a beacon of hope for them. As a kid, I never thought I would make it past the surgeries, chemo, or radiation. I plan to be a teacher who doesn't just teach, but also helps the kids as if they were my own. I had many teachers who would drive homework and tests to my house, so I wouldn't fall behind. I want to be like those teachers and inspire the kids who have medical conditions. Thanks to my dad, who is a pastor, I do have a relationship with God. God has been guiding me through my education journey and showing me what He wants me to be. My goal in life is to have a beautiful family, be an influence in my community, and ultimately live a life full of adventure, love, and one that shows the light of Jesus to all those around me. Receiving the Jim Maxwell Memorial Scholarship will help me to achieve that goal. Thank you for your time, Jacob Hamilton

I believe that I should receive Jessica's Journey Brain Tumor Survivor Scholarship because this scholarship will greatly help me achieve my goals of becoming a secondary education teacher and help other kids just like me. When I was nine years old, I was hit in the head by a kickball while I was out playing with my family. My parents thought I had a concussion and took me to the emergency room. At the ER, I was given a CT exam, where they saw my tumor. I was immediately sent to Peyton Manning Hospital, where I was given an MRI and was then diagnosed with a Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma. I underwent a total of three surgeries, fourteen months of chemotherapy, and one month of radiation. Halfway through my first surgery, the doctors informed my parents that they discovered my tumor was wrapped around my optic nerve. My parents were informed that there was a very high chance I was going to come out of surgery blind and have to relearn all of my fine motor skills: writing, speaking, walking, eating, etc. In 2019, my parents filed for bankruptcy and had to sell our house due to all the accrued medical bills, the surprise birth of my baby sister, and other financial hardships. My parents also had to drop out of college so they could pick up a third job to be able to afford all the bills and my treatments. My brain tumor drastically changed my family's lives. However, we have always tried our best to look at everything as a blessing rather than a curse. As of today, I still have my brain tumor, but it has not grown in ten years. I am currently 23 years old and going to Grand Canyon University for a Bachelor's in history in secondary education. My dream is to work in my hometown school district, where I will be able to impact and change the lives of kids in my community. I want to have a beautiful family, be an influence in my community, and ultimately live a life full of adventure, love, and one that shows the light of Jesus to all those around me. Receiving this scholarship will help me achieve my goals, yes, but most importantly, it will help me show other kids that a cancer diagnosis is not the end, but rather the beginning of an amazing story.

When I was 9 years old, we found out that I had a brain tumor. I was rushed to the hospital and had surgery 2 days later. For the next 14 months, I had chemotherapy every week. And I few years later, when my tumor grew, I had 1 month of radiation. I missed a lot of school from fourth to eighth grade, and I still graduated with an academic diploma. Even throughout high school I struggled, and that's the lesson I would teach. No matter what life throws at you, oush through and succeed. My teachers were very kind and helped me out the best they could. I want to be that kind of teacher that goes above and beyond for my students. The number one thing that drives me to become a teacher is to help the future generations. Teachers are the foundation of the youths education and I want to be apart of that. I am aware of the struggles that most teachers go through, however I am willing to go through it to help better the kids live and the world. Thank you

My biggest accomplishment in high school was graduating high school with good grades and clear scans. Due to the location and severity of my tumor, I lost a significant amount of my vision. This made reading and learning difficult for me. I also missed a lot of my fourth, fifth and eight grade curriculum due to my brain surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. Missing a majority of these school years caused me to be behind in comparison to my peers. Graduating high school with all A's and B's was a huge accomplishment for me. My teachers always did everything they could to make sure I understood, learned, and completed my school work. The impact that these teachers had on me was so great that I decided to become a secondary education teacher. I want to be able to help other kids the same way my teachers helped me. I want to be able to help kids just like me, even if it is just one. I believe that I should receive the Kyla Jo Burridge Memorial Scholarship because this scholarship will greatly help me achieve my goals of becoming a secondary education teacher and help other kids just like me. When I Was nine years old, I was hit in the head by a kickball while I was out playing with my family. My parents thought I had a concussion and took me to the ER. At the ER, I was given a CT exam, where they saw my tumor. I was immediately sent to Peyton Manning Hospital, where I was given and MRI, and was then diagnosed with a Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma. I underwent a total of three surgeries, fourteen months of chemotherapy, and one month of radiation. Halfway through my first surgery, the doctors informed my parents that they discovered my tumor was wrapped around my optic nerve. My parents were informed that there was a very high chance I was going to come out of surgery blind, and have to relearn all of my fine motor skills; writing, speaking, walking, eating, etc. In 2019, my parents filed for bankruptcy and had to sell our house due to all the accrued medical bills, surprise birth of my baby sister, and other financial hardships. My parents also had to drop out of college so they could pick up a third job to be able to afford all the bills and my treatments. My brain tumor drastically changed my family's lives. However, we have always tried our best to look at everything as a blessing rather than a curse.