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Terilyn Lawson

195

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Finalist

Education

Vanderbilt University

Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
2024 - 2027
  • Majors:
    • Theology and Religious Vocations, Other

Fuller Theological Seminary

Bachelor's degree program
2007 - 2010
  • Majors:
    • Theology and Religious Vocations, Other

University of Southern California

Master's degree program
2003 - 2006
  • Majors:
    • Film/Video and Photographic Arts

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Theology

    • Dream career goals:

      Nabi Nicole Grant Memorial Scholarship
      Reliance on faith has become my default. From an early age, about seven years old, I learned and practiced trusting God for the impossible. When we are children, it is easier to believe or rely on others for care. Being faced with an obstacle provokes a reflexive response to seek a parent or an older authority figure. As we mature, we gravitate toward a self-reliance which is partly encouraged through our raising and partly through a natural progression toward living out our need for freedom, for independence. However, as we transition from childhood or dependence to adulthood or independence from our parental figures, we enact this transition with God. We believe that since we are adults, the source of our problem-solving is us. As our reliance upon ourselves increases, the tendency is to draw away from our reliance upon God, in some instances, so much so that we forget about God when faced with obstacles or challenges. I am intentional about acknowledging how reliant I am and need to be upon God. The most recent time I overcame an obstacle through faith was when I had to move from Virginia to Illinois within a day. There was the remaining packing that needed to be completed, arranging final preparations for house cleaning, and mentally preparing for the fourteen-hour drive. My anxiety levels threatened to rise each time I thought about the impending journey. Having traveled long distances in the past, although I enjoy a lengthy road trip, I dread back roads; especially ones that are unpaved and ominously remote from civilization. Adding to my negatively charged thoughts was the passing of time. I had intended to be on the road by eleven o'clock, but was distancing myself from that goal with each last minute task. This meant that I would be on the road late, a potentially dark, remote, and treacherous one. The challenges with time, road, and inevitable tiredness threatened to overwhelm me. Fortunately, I practice relying on God for every situation. It is a practice that I leaned into as my anxiety inched toward encroachment upon my faith. When I finally set my vehicle in the direction of Illinois, it was approximately three o'clock. God reminded me that any goals that I wanted to meet regarding the amount of hours to drive in one day were my own. Of course, I would need to drive a certain number of miles to be in Illinois by the desired day, but the increments and how were limitations that I had placed upon myself. This acknowledgement alone released some tension and enabled me to give God and my faith room to inform my perspective about the challenges. As I drove, I consciously articulated to myself what God had done up to that moment: needed tasks were completed, my anxiety has been quieted, and the route was not on back roads through isolated areas but were well lit, trafficked, and paved with clean, accessible, and safe "travel plazas" (rest stops). When the journey ended, I was and all challenges had been overcome.