Congratulations to Calvin Scott, one of three recipients of the 2019 Meadows Surgical Arts Surgical Hope Foundation Scholarship for Georgia-Cumberland Academy!
The Surgical Hope Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides outpatient surgical services at no cost to those in need. Founded by Dr. Lionel Meadows and his wife, Kathryn Meadows, RN, BSN, the Surgical Hope Foundation gives many patients the opportunity to fulfill their medical needs without the added burden of finances.
Each year, through the Surgical Hope Foundation, Dr. & Mrs. Meadows offer a scholarship to one graduating high school senior from each of four local high schools to help fund their college endeavors. Each student must complete an essay describing their aspirations and goals in pursuing a medical career. This year, scholarships were also awarded to students at Georgia-Cumberland Academy in Calhoun, GA.
Each student must complete an essay describing their aspirations and goals in pursuing a medical career. This is Mr. Scott's essay:
"Since childhood, I have been raised to abide by the principles and commandments established by God through scriptures. My parents, through their experiences, realized that the only way we as people can thrive and be content with our lives is by serving God. Therefore, they accepted and carried out their responsibility to help me understand this truth. As I matured, it became clear that serving God meant serving my fellow man and vice versa. I pursued this mission by advocating for those around me who were ostracized, respecting authoritative figures, and modeling a character that alluded to the life of Christ. 1 Peter 5:6 and Psalm 1:1-3 became a reality for me; I received numerous accolades for my character and academic achievements and realized that I was successful at whatever I decided to work for.
My passion for service has mainly been solidified by the blessings I have received throughout my time at Georgia-Cumberland Academy. My family and I heard about the school on a summer vacation in Florida. We check it out during the Academy Days and experienced a genuine embodiment of the character of Christ on campus. I loved it. On registration weekend we came with absolutely no money. Saturday, my family had met a church member at Calhoun SDA church who ended up letting me stay at her house until I was registered. My mom had to travel 5 hours back home to work the next day. The following Sunday, we went to register with no money and had to leave because we needed at least a small downpayment. We were told that we weren't going to raise the money on that day specifically. However, by Sunday night, we had found donors that totaled $2,500, enabling with the means to register. God has continued to reveal himself to me in obvious ways. I believe God led me to this school because it supports my mission and provides various opportunities for me to excel in a way that is pleasing to him. For example, because of my character, I found favor in the sight of my soccer and gymnastics coaches. They not only awarded me Most Valuable Player but also appointed me as one of the guys' soccer and gymnastics captains. In this position, I was able to inspire and guide my peers in ways to become a better leader than myself and point them to the source of my success – God. Additionally, my parents support and drive to help me reach my full scholastic potential motivated me to maintain grades that not only caused me to be acknowledged on the Principal's List every year, but also granted me access to being a member of the Georgia-Cumberland Academy (GCA) Scholars program and National Honors Society (NHS) Despite all these achievements, the experiences I had in service while at GCA were the most valuable and impactful to me.
Of the various community service opportunities provided at GCA, mission trips are the most popular ones. At one point in time, missions trips outside fo the country were an intangible dream to me. Community services such as food giveaways or literature evangelism were always the more convenient options because it was local and did not have a cost. In order to serve outside of the country, I would have had to fundraise and invest money: a task that was difficult for me to do. Fortunately, during my junior year I decided to act in faith, doing my part to raise funds for a mission trip to Peru while God did his part. The end result was that I was able to serve others in another country for the first time. The experience was life changing. While there, I participated in VBS, food distribution, and construction. I was encouraged by the locals' faith as they followed God despite it being unpopular in their community. The following year, God blessed me yet again with full coverage so that I could attend the Ecuador mission trip. While there, I worked right alongside volunteers of ADRA to construct homes for local citizens who had lost them in a recent flood. Though the language difference was a barrier, we were still able to become friends and encourage each other to continue fulfilling the will of God. The whole experience was just a beautiful reminder of the fellowship we will have in heaven and rejuvenated my passion to serve.
The theme of service has been accentuated throughout my life thus far. From making others laugh to being an attentive ear, I realized that I have a knack for working directly with people. Therefore, I have chosen Physical Therapy as my career path in order to use my gift to its full potential. Upon researching this field, I did an internship at Redmond PT center in Rome, GA. I observed that I would be able to engage one on one with patients so as to carry out the best and quickest methods to recovery. The therapist I shadowed was constantly encouraging her patients and was very open with them. This sincerity in the relationship between therapist and patient was exactly what I desired. 1 Peter 4:10 states, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." In other words, being a Physical Therapist would allow me to fully utilize my gift of kind-heartedness to care for my society and please God."
We would like to congratulate Mr. Scott on his achievements, and wish him the very best in his future scholastic and career endeavors.
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