Plymouth Magazine-Summer26-DIGITAL - Flipbook - Page 43
Plymouth Scholarships Awarded
By Marcia Gilmer (she/her)
Imagine being a 27-year-old, living your best life as a dancer
and entertainer on an international cruise ship. You see exciting
places, enjoy co-workers and friends from around the world,
and you’re doing the job you love! Now imagine you are from
Ukraine. Your country is attacked by the Soviet Union and war
ensues. You don’t know what you’ll do next.
After careful consideration, you determine it’s time for a huge
change in your life. Still working onboard the ship, you research
and find a program allowing Ukrainian citizens to enter the
United States to live and work (Uniting for Ukraine). You reach
out to two American friends, a former work colleague and her
husband, now back home in the US. They offer to help you
navigate the application process and to serve as your sponsors.
You are accepted and move in with your friends in Des Moines,
Iowa in August, 2022. Resettlement begins.
Within a year, you have your own apartment, a full-time job
working with refugees through Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI),
and are enrolled at DMACC. You graduate with honors and
begin a bachelor’s degree program through the University of
Northern Iowa. You continue to work full-time, helping other
refugees navigate the paperwork and programs required to
succeed. Unfortunately, the financial aid for which you qualify
stops when communication from the U.S. Department of
Education abruptly ceases.
Your American friends/sponsors happen to be members of the
Plymouth Church. One night at Chancel Choir rehearsal, they
hear about the Plymouth Scholarship Program and encourage
you to apply.
On Sunday, May 17, the Plymouth Scholarship Committee
awarded ten college scholarships: six to college-bound high
school seniors and four to currently-enrolled college/graduate
students. In addition, a donation was made to the Plymouth
Nursery School tuition assistance program.
HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARS
The High School Scholarship applicants were asked about their
affiliation with Plymouth, leadership positions they’ve held (at
Plymouth and beyond), and how Plymouth has affected their
faith development. Though their contributions and aspirations
may differ, all six winners viewed Plymouth as a place that has
significantly shaped their faith and understanding of what it
means to “grow in love of God and neighbor.”
Sabine Carlson is headed to St. Olaf College to study
Anthropology, Philosophy, and Spanish. Connections with
others are important to Sabine and she believes fluency in
Spanish will serve her well. She plans be a Peace Corps volunteer
for two years after college, and then seek an advanced degree. A
four-year Matins member, Sabine served on Plymouth’s Youth
Leadership team as a recruitment manager and mentoring guide.
Sabine highlighted her participation in the Common Ground
on the Border Conference as life-changing. “I was exposed to
the many ways in which human rights are drastically threatened
in vulnerable areas such as the borderlands. I am forever grateful
for the opportunity given to me from Plymouth to attend this
conference and expand my worldview.”
Kalya Kothavale will be studying Mechanical Engineering at
the Georgia Institute of Technology. Involved in Plymouth
since kindergarten (choirs and Sunday School), Kalya noted
the importance of Confirmation in his faith journey. “…it not
only prompted deep thoughts but also brought me into teen
life at Plymouth.” For Kalya, that included serving on the
Audio-Visual team and filming the 11 am service for Plymouth’s
YouTube channel twice a month. He was the Chef on the Youth
Leadership Team, where he organized menus and volunteers to
provide the Sunday Matins breakfasts. Kalya views Plymouth
as a respite, where he is “valued for who I am rather what I
achieve....Plymouth has taught me that a journey of faith is built
through shared effort and intentional care.”
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