Message of Hope Foundation Scholarship Recipients:
The Message of Hope Foundation Scholarship/Award is a $1000 scholarship given to a high school senior who demonstrates and understands the importance of living their lives for others.
2011 Recipients:
Catie Hamilton
Phoenixville High School
Washington College
“All throughout my life my parents have taught me that caring for the community is an influential part of who you become. I am passionate about helping my community because when you help one person, you can indirectly impact many others.”
Nia Williams
Coatesville High School
Millersville University
“The definition of a personal legend is a person’s goals in life and I believe I have found mine…I adore helping people; whether it’s my friends, family, or helping out in my local community…this is why I chose the field of Health and Behavior Science…to help children to develop healthy lifestyles.”
Aisling Travers
Great Valley High School
West Chester University
“I have honestly learned…to truly appreciate the small things, and smile through the tears and simply accept the challenges and make the best of the hardships. I feel most passionate about helping others because it honestly makes me who I am.”
Emily Berkowitz
Owen J. Roberts High School
Bard College
“Passion for reading becomes a passion for the characters…The sense of empathy is a constant reminder to be kinder and gentler to those around me…No one can know the struggles faced and the battles fought. Reading, though, provides insight into another’s mind and their foreign lives and provides for a different kind of empathy and a new understanding of the surrounding world.”
Shana Murphy
Spring-Ford High School
Montgomery County Community College
“You have to believe everything happens for a reason. No matter how terrible the situation is you need to realize every problem is a learning opportunity in disguise….whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Everything I have dealt with has made me stronger. The big guy upstairs won’t deal you a card you can’t handle. You just have to keep your head on straight and keep your eyes on the prize. The choice is yours.”
————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
2010 Recipients:
Christina Bohn
Great Valley High School
New York University
“The first time I truly felt empathetic was during the summer of 2008 when I was fortunate to have participated in a mission trip with my church…to Monterrey, Mexico. During our afternoon home visit, I was led into a hut to bring food and water to (two women)…Maria and Gloria who dwelled in a one room adobe; one suffering from severe mental disabilities and the other agonizing from dementia. Neither woman could walk…I was sad; not for the women but as a woman who could have just as well been living under these conditions. These women became elated at our arrival…after praying and singing Maria reached out and gave me a desperate but warm hug, crying and muttering thanksgiving in Spanish. I felt a stronger connection to God simply because I was in their presence and I could see their faith painted across their tear-stricken faces. The influence of empathy is powerful. While I brought them (Maria and Gloria) their essentials, food and water, they have in turn given me mine: a more wholesome, empathetic outlook on life.”
Melissa Loomis
Spring-Ford High School
King’s College
“…my true passion in life is for people…secondary to this, I have a love for the medical field which was sparked in me this past summer at the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine. From this program I formed my ultimate goals of becoming a Physicians Assistant and using my education to do mission work in third world countries…To feed my passion for caring for people through medicine, I enrolled in an EMT class this past September…this way I am actively pursuing my future by getting my hands dirty even before I begin my college education. I go to class with an attitude that longs to soak up the information I need to help my patients because I feel an overwhelming love for them and longing to help even though I have never met them before. Being an EMT student has furthered my passion for loving and caring for others through means of the medical field…”
Alex Kray
Phoenixville High School
University of Notre Dame
“There have been a lot of songs written about it, but respect for others is something that I feel passionate about. Respect for others is a lot more than good manners. It’s recognizing that everyone, from kids to adults, is of value…Respecting others also includes respecting their talents. One of the more rewarding examples of respecting the talents of others occurred this past summer when I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. Thanks to the expertise of others on the crew, my raw skills were leveraged far beyond what I could have accomplished on my own. It was the abilities of the individuals combined with the overall motivation to do something for others that resulted in a completed home for a local family. The Habitat for Humanity and other community service projects have taught me the importance of giving back to our community…I was born on this planet blessed with many talents form God…While these talents may have been God’s gift to me, what I do with them is my gift back to not only God but the entire community.”
Billy Hackmeister
Coatesville High School
Rider University
“I feel most passionate about teaching others about life and also helping others in different subjects like math and physics. I have met many people in my life that have knowledge that I have learned from…with this knowledge I have applied it to my everyday life by helping others. I feel passionate about helping others with their emotional issues as well as helping them in their school work. I like to see people succeed, especially my classmates. I like to use my talents to help others because that is what makes me the most happy.”
Sarah Graybill
Owen J. Roberts High School
Grove City College
“I was saying goodbye to all of the children at the Mexican orphanage in which I had stayed for a week in August when I felt a tug on my shirt. Looking down, my eyes met with those of a little girl with whom I had taken time to play every day. She looked up at me with large, sad eyes, and then squeezed me as tight as she could while I embraced her. It was a hug I will never forget, and I knew that a match had been lit. My week in Mexico started a fire in my heart as I found joy, strength, and fulfillment serving people lees fortunate than me…That passion has driven me to Caimito, the poorest town in Puerto Rico, and a children’s home in St. Croix. Besides living my life for others through service projects, I also invest myself in other’s lives through tutoring…Hearing the children laugh while playing jump rope in the backstreets of San Juan, or seeing the girl you are tutoring smile as she understands what she is reading for the first time, mean more to me than any award…Whether in my local community or neighborhoods around the world, I want to positively impact the lives of people.”
———————————————————————————————-
2009 Recipients:
Nitha Saju
Upper Darby High School
University of Pennsylvania
“While participating in the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for Health Care, I researched the epidemiology of poor health and its correlations with socioeconomic status. Upon returning…I finalized plans for my trip to El Salvador, where I would be volunteering at an orphanage that houses sixteen children of prostitutes…Now branded on my Salvadoran bracelet is the very appropriate verse from 1Timothy 4:12 “Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example…” The orphans and civilians of San Salvador are alive today because of the sacrificial love of another. The funny thing is, I am too. Now I want to know what it is like to love other people in the same way, so I have decided to spend my whole life on the experiment. Feel free to join me. We might just change the world.”
Jenna DeLeone
Phoenixville High School
University of Delaware
“My passion has always been children. Seeing life through their eyes is truly a remarkable experience. They hold no biases, they are not judgmental, and they do not hold back their emotions. As adults, I believe we can learn a great deal from children. Kids appreciate the little things in life; things that we forget and take advantage of as we grow older…As I have a passion for children I hope to accomplish something great in the world utilizing the power of teaching. Although I may not be able to introduce a new invention or a change in our society, I believe I still will be making a difference in the world. Children are the key to the future of our world. As a teacher, I will have the ability to nurture that key to open possible doors for our future generations.”
Nicholas Clemens
Owen J. Roberts High School
Elizabethtown College
“Through out my life I have learned many things. Everything from spelling in elementary school to calculus in high school as well as the life lessons along the way. Somewhere during that journey, I came to a realization about human beings; it is that many of us, including myself, are plagued with an ailment. It is the idea that we each have endless list of things we feel passionate about. The quarrel with this is that we must make a choice to pursue one and find a way to use it in favor of making the world a better place…I feel most passionate about Student Council at my high school because I have put countless hours into its functions over the past two years…I enjoy fundraising for needy families within the school district and fundraising for the Student Council…I enjoy meeting these problems with administrators, teachers, and community members in a manner that allows them to see how co-operative and dedicated young people can be when it comes to governing daily affairs.”
Aditi Desai
Council Rock High School
Emory University
“…The crowd applauded as I took the stage to begin my performance for the Youth Council Diversity Showcase I helped to create. The hyacinth blue and red silken dress sparkled in the spotlight. As I melted on the hardwood of the stage the golden bangles rung together…the feeling of nervousness crept from my stomach to my throat. Why was I scared?…Maybe it was that I was performing for people entrenched in a different culture-one foreign to my own. Yet, oddly enough, it was in this very difference that I found strength…As the world is continuing to globalize and integrate political and economic policies, our dependence upon each other should reflect the knowledge we have of each other’s cultures. The Diversity Showcase was a small step I took towards educating the local residents about the identity held by their neighbors…Sitting in my starting pose, with one knee facing up and my hand resting upon it, it suddenly struck me; the event, which I had spent a year creating, was about to end. It started with a small interest in making a difference in my community, uniting all, and a personal hobby of learning about other cultures and teaching about my own culture. It grew into an annual event, which raised $2000 for the Franklin Township Food Bank.”
Darryl Gardner
Coatesville High School
Vaughn College of Aero and Technology
“I am most passionate about assisting people who are struggling socially in any way, and watching how, with a little help they can turn their lives around for themselves…In short my passion to assist others in need has helped me become a person of integrity. By viewing the world without pre-judgments, I am able to live my life to not only better myself but also those around me who may need uplifting, or just a little help to get along their way.”
Carissa Pietsch
Spring-Ford High School
Elizabethtown College
“…I look forward to continuing onto Elizabethtown College as a Music Therapy major. I hope to bring joy to others, and to help others through disabilities and rough times with the power and message of music…As soon as as I heard of the career I knew I was meant to fulfill my duties to society as a music therapist, and through this scholarship, it may make my journey to college an easier one…”
Caitlyn Class
Lower Moreland High School
West Chester University
“Knowing that my passion is to help others, I along with a friend decided to help start the Lower Moreland Mini-THON…We would be making a difference, raising money for childhood cancer, so that no family would ever see a single medical bill…inaugural event raised $20,000…(second annual 2009) $25,000…I made a difference in these children’s lives and in doing so my passion was fulfilled.”
Jacob Koffer
Great Valley High School
Haverford College
“…I feel most passionate about the Relief Pitchers. As a member of the Relief Pitchers, an organization that collects and distributes new and used baseball equipment, along with other donations, to youth in disadvantaged communities, I was making my fourth trip to the small town of Los Tres Brazos in the Dominican Republic…I gained the satisfaction of knowing that I had helped an impoverished community and that I had persevered in what seemed to be an overwhelming task. I returned home exhausted and exhilarated and ready to start collecting donations for the next trip. I was thankful to a community that had given me so much more than I could ever have hoped.”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
2008 Recipients:
Kurt Schenk
Coatesville Area Senior High School
“I first acknowledged my true desire to become a physician after reading C. Jeff Miller’s quote, “Body and soul cannot be separated for purposes of treatment, for they are one and indivisible. Sick minds must be healed as well as sick bodies,” from the wall of my pediatrician’s office. At that moment in seventh grade, I decided that I would become a physician, so that I could treat the bodies and souls of humanity.”
Chloe Leech
Phoenixville Area High School
“To me, I feel that pursuing a career in elementary education is my way of contributing to the world; by showing the kids the proper ways to interact with one another in and out of the classroom. I have always been fascinated by children and have known that I wanted to be a teacher for many years. Seeing the world as it is today only makes my passion grow and gives me more incentive to teach.”
Ariane Varlotta
Spring-Ford Area High School
“I am driven and motivated to do whatever it takes to help children and provide them with the life they deserve. I have always known I wanted to help others as a career. My passion is children, and I hope, by pursuing a career as a Physician Assistant, I will have the opportunity to touch the lives of many more children in the future.”
Stephanie Leibfried
Great Valley High School
“My goal in life is to bring hope to those who are not fortunate to provide for themselves. I want to give all of my time and effort into helping to change the world one person at a time. By educating one, you are truly educating many.”
Valerie Kilgannon
Owen J. Roberts High School
“I am able to humble myself to the point where serving others is not a challenge or a burden, but a gift and privilege. I find great joy in serving others, especially through a passion that I hold dear to my heart: music.”
2007 Recipient:
Rachel Yodis
Phoenixville High School
Millersville University