My plan has always been to pursue a career in Physical Therapy. I want to be able to give families an opportunity to fight back from anything with a big smile after they overcome adversity. However, it was not until my family and I were in a fatal car accident, that I knew this was what God wanted for me. The connection was personal now. My mother and brother came out with multiple serious injuries and my ten year old sister passed away. My mom shattered her hip and as for my brother, he broke both legs and was in ICU for many days. I watched them struggle through physical therapy to be healthy again. I knew that I wanted to be someone's motivation to get back to a normal life as I watch them grow. I want to see their faces light up with joy as they look back on the progress they have made. As I will be the person that is on their side when they feel like all the odds are against them. It might be something as small as a sprained ankle but I want to teach them a bigger lesson that they are capable of great things. They just have to keep going. I truly believe that if we work through God his plan is greater than anything we could ever imagine. The loss of my sister was difficult for everyone. However, I have never seen a family go through as much adversity as mine, yet still live their lives to the fullest. We learned to love like there is no tomorrow and to hug like it is forever. I have the strongest family by far; each and every one of them grew closer to God and kept their faith strong. One thing that has stuck with us is remembering God gives his most difficult battles to his toughest soldiers. When we see a battle all God sees is our victory. As the years have gone by, we have experienced many heartbreaking deaths in our family but my family finds comfort in knowing that they are all home with the Lord waiting for us. I've come to realize that life here on earth is in no comparison to what God has in store for us. That we in fact have the best guardian angels watching over us as we live this short life on earth waiting for everlasting joy.

Hi, I’m Valerie Tyra. I’m a senior for the class of 2022 at Vernon High School with a GPA of 4.52! I’m very involved in my school and community! I have been a varsity cheerleader for four years and play many sports such as volleyball, softball and run track! I’m the class representative for the student council and key club. I’ve been in Pals for two years where I have the opportunity to make an influence on the younger children at elementary schools.I have been an active member of campfire since kindergarten! Recently grew a big interest for future farmers of America! Also extremely involved in Fellowship of Christian Athletes where I'm given the chance to spread the love and word of Jesus. I have always been on the path of wanting a career in Physical Therapy; it wasn't until my family and I were in a fatal car accident when it felt like God had this as my plan. The connection was now more personal. My mother and brother came out with multiple serious injuries and my ten year old sister passed away. My mom shattered her hip and as for my brother, he broke both legs and was in ICU for many days. I watched them struggle through physical therapy to get healthy again. I knew that I wanted to be someone's motivation to help them live a normal life again as I watch them grow. The loss of my sister was difficult for everyone. However, I've never seen a family go through as much adversity as mine and still live their lives to the fullest. We learned to love like there is no tomorrow and to hug like it was forever. I have the strongest family by far; each and every one of them grew closer to God and kept their faith steady. One thing that has stuck with us is remembering God gives his most difficult battles to his toughest soldiers. As the years have gone on we have experienced many heartbreaking deaths in our family but my strong family finds comfort in knowing that they are all home with the lord waiting for us. We have the best guardian angels watching over us as we live this short life on earth waiting for ever lasting happiness.