We would like to introduce you to our 2018 VSMF National Scholarship recipient, Emily Sedlak. Emily is a graduate from Carlisle High School in Pennsylvania. She plans on attending Messiah College in Pennsylvania majoring in Early Elementary Education and Special Education. Emily was chosen out of over 50 applications from all over the country. In speaking to Emily, we felt she embodies the spirit of Vicki!
She said, “It means the world to me that out of countless applicants, I was chosen as the Vicki Soto Memorial Scholarship National recipient. I feel incredibly blessed that Miss Soto’s family and friends believed in me so much that they have chosen me to carry on Vicki’s legacy. Vicki was such an incredible woman, and to know that her family and friends see the same light she had in me means everything. When I first received the call I was so honored and speechless. I was in such a state of gratitude and shock that I was at a loss for words. Throughout the phone call all I could think about was honoring Vicki’s memory and making the Soto’s and my new scholarship family proud, which I hope I will be able to do. All I could say was an endless amount of “thank you’s” and hope that it would at least partially express my overwhelming gratitude.”
We are so excited and honored to have Emily as part of our Vicki Soto Memorial Scholarship family. Emily has been spending most of her summer teaching in her church’s children’s ministry program. Emily said, “Getting to work with kids at Sunday school, as well as participating in vacation bible school has been such a treat and a highlight of my summer. I love getting to serve my community in any way I can, and it has been a blast getting hands on experience teaching and doing what I love.”
Emily sent us pictures of her from this summer. She said, “The first picture is of me during one of my church’s summer youth group nights where I now serve as a middle school youth group leader! The other two pictures are from the youth group’s meal packing night! Through an organization called “Change For Change”, we packaged 10,000 meals for families in Zambia- an exciting beginning to our work with the organization as we are planning to pack 60,000 meals by the end of the school year!”
We are so proud of Emily and all her hard work working with her church and children this year. We wish her all the best this fall!
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