Secular Decisions Lead to Spiritual Service - Melrose, MA. (Cambridge Stake)

Greetings!  I've been a BYU-I/Rick College Alumni Representative since 2001 and have enjoyed seeing the ever increasing impact the school has had in my own stake and wards. 

When my wife and I moved to Boston, shortly after graduating from the Y, we thought Boston was where we needed to work and possibly go to school, but after only a few short months we quickly realized that we are in Boston to serve in our ward and stake, the job and school was just something to do along the way.  Little did either of us know that after a few months attending our home ward would we be called by our stake presidency to serve in the bishopric and youth organizations of the Spanish ward in our stake.  We were even more enlightened when we realized that more than 50% of the Spanish ward members were originally from Guatemala, where my wife lived as an adolescent and where years later, I served my mission.  

This experience and many others have caused me to truly understand how important BYU-I and other church schools are to the Lord’s work around the world.  I have to brag a little that I have overheard past members of our stake presidency having said that BYU-I students seem to be especially (must be how the chilly Rexburg winters compare to Boston in January/February) prepared to serve in vital callings in our wards and branches.  

About 12 families in my current ward (Revere 2) are students (mostly Dental) at Tufts, Boston University, and Harvard and it's wonderful to see almost as many coming from BYU-I as from BYU and others.  We love these students in our local units because they are able to serve diligently for a significant amount of time.  We've seen students/spouses serve in Bishoprics, YM/YW Presidencies, RS presidencies, Stake YW presidencies, and we've seen how their service blesses their life and the lives of those they serve.  I am personally grateful for the service rendered in my ward and stake by students and their families—I only wish there was an easy way to convince more of them to plant roots and stay a bit longer than 2-4 years;).

Josh Iverson

 

Thoughts on the Heber J. Grant Program (from Christine Velasco, Regional Rep for the West Region)

Heber J. Grant Scholarship
Hello fellow BYU-I Alumni Ambassadors! I am Christine Velasco, your regional representative. I started just like each of you--with a desire to share the excitement about BYU-Idaho to those who live in my area and now we have the privledge of getting a polo shirt and some pass-along cards to make us look more official! :)

Today I had an "Aha! Moment" and thought I'd pass it along to you. Today's plug is for the Heber J. Grant Scholarship at BYU-Idaho. Please check it out at www.byui.edu/heberjgrant. This scholarship seeks applicants who:have low income,whose parents who didn't graduate from college,were raised in a single-parent home,whose parents are not active LDS members,were raised in an area where few attended college,or have overcome other long-term disadvantages.

The "Aha! Moment" came when I realized that anybody as young as 13 years old can apply for this scholarship. What a brilliant idea! Once these young students are accepted for the scholarship, they are eligible for individual advisement in admissions, financial aid, and contact from current students, alumni (like you and me), until they are old enough to actually apply to BYU-Idaho. They still have to apply and be accepted to BYU-Idaho, but imagine the difference this can make in a teenager's college planning knowing that they already have a scholarship waiting for them IF they keep their grades up, continue attending seminary, etc.

So my PERSONAL VISION FOR 2009 is to find FOUR youth in my stake and help them apply for the Heber J. Grant Scholarship.

I have typed up the HBJ essay questions on a separate word document. If you would like them, simply email me at losvelasco@gmail.com and I will pass them along. This way the youth can prepare their answers before actually going online and applying for the scholarship.We have a unique opportunity to be sharing the excitement of BYU-Idaho with these youth. Now, more than ever, we need to be enlightening them on the benefits of having a solid education to back up their marketable skills.

Sincerely,Christine Velasco, San Jose, CA