2023 CHAP Memorial Scholarship Given for Second Place

CHAP Scholarship Application Essay

By Magdalena Kehr, Second Place Winner, Leigh A. Genasevich Scholarship

Throughout my homeschool career I have had many opportunities both educational and otherwise that have impacted my knowledge and education, my Christian walk, and have determined the course of my future plans.

I have been blessed to grow up in a Christian household with parents who seek to honor God in all that they do, which has impacted how they parent and teach their children. I accepted Christ when I was six years old through the mailbox club devotionals. I have grown up attending church every week and participating in AWANAs and youth group. Even though I was a Christian and did all the “Christian” things, my faith was not personal and did not impact how I lived until spring of 2020. Even though I knew I was saved, up until that point I had been struggling with many doubts about Christianity and I felt like I did not personally know the God who saved me. Since many activities were shut down in the beginning of 2020, I decided that I would use the extra time I had to study the Bible and get to know my Savior. That was the best decision that I have ever made. Even though I had already read the Bible too many times to count, this time my motivation was different. Instead of doing it out of a sense of duty, I was reading the Bible out of a desire to know the God who made me. This was really when I made my faith “my own.” In the summer of 2021, I decided to be baptized and publicly declare that I was a Christian. I got connected to a thriving youth group and I have been able to make many godly friends and grow in my knowledge of Christ immensely. This past summer I had the opportunity to spend seven weeks of my summer serving the Lord in Zambia. It grew my faith tremendously and taught me so much about how true joy is not determined by your circumstances but rather comes from a relationship with Christ.

Originally my parents were not planning to homeschool their children and knew little about it, but my older brother was diagnosed with several behavioral and learning disabilities and struggled in the public-school setting. They then decided to homeschool my siblings and I. I have been homeschooled my entire education. I have experienced numerous organized homeschool co-ops as well as traditional homeschooling. Throughout my schooling we have utilized many community resources such as: the library, the local college’s planetarium, several museums, church activities, the local YMCA, and many learning events put on by the Gettysburg Historical Society. Field trips played a huge role in my schooling throughout elementary and middle school. Some of my favorite field trips include visits to national Smithsonian, the NASA museum, Williamsburg, and a newspaper company. Being homeschooled has taught me that learning is a lifelong process that is not just done inside of a classroom. It has also taught me that one’s motivation behind learning should not just be to pass a test, but rather studying to genuinely learn and understand the information. Homeschool has given me the opportunity to explore specific areas of interest. Many people think homeschooling secludes kids and causes them to have inadequate social skills. However, it does the opposite. Homeschooling has taught me how to interact with people of all ages and has made me realize how important it is to be a part of my community. While most kids my age were in a classroom learning common core math, I was out volunteering at my local rescue mission or learning about the civil war from a local historian. My homeschooling education is something that has/will impact every aspect of my life. It has taught me that I am a valuable part of my community, how to give back, how to think for myself, how to be an independent learner while still being a team player, and the importance of learning through everyday experiences.

I plan to attend Lancaster Bible College to study psychology. Psychology has been an interest of mine for several years and homeschooling has given me the opportunity to explore that through taking several classes focused on this subject. Obtaining this degree would qualify me to become a licensed counselor. I would like to use that certification to help victims of human trafficking. Human trafficking is a subject that first piqued my interest when I was assigned a research paper on a moral crime during my sophomore year of high school. I knew that human trafficking existed in other countries, but I was shocked by how prevalent this despicable crime is in the United States. Since writing that paper, I have become passionate about helping those affected by human trafficking. There are several organizations/ministries in my area that work with these victims through counseling and helping them walk through the struggles that they may face with their newfound freedom. I would love to work with one of these ministries. My education has led me to pursue this career path. If I weren’t prompted to write that research paper, I would not have become aware of and passionate about human trafficking. Having had the opportunity to take multiple psychology courses has solidified my decision to study psychology. The Bible speaks clearly about our duty as Christians to serve those in need. In James 2:14-17, it says “My brothers and sisters, what good is it if people say they have faith but do nothing to show it? Claiming to have faith can’t save anyone, can it? Imagine a brother or sister who is naked and never has enough food to eat. What if one of you said, ‘Go in peace! Stay warm! Have a nice meal!?’ What good is it if you don’t actually give them what their body needs? In the same way, faith is dead when it doesn’t result in faithful activity.”. This verse shows us how important it is to love and serve one another through our actions. This ministry would give me an option to show the love and hope of Christ to those who need it the most.