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A Gift of Hope

Many of us take for granted that our kids will go to college. Isn’t that the way things go? Our children grow up, graduate from high school and head for a dorm room. But what if that wasn’t the norm for your family; what if college was out of reach? This thought led one IBCer to make a very generous donation that would change someone’s life forever.

He quietly approached Jan Fanning, director of IBC’s school partnerships ministry SchoolWorks, offering to start a scholarship fund for a student who may not otherwise have an opportunity to go to college. Unlike most scholarships that are usually awarded to high school juniors or seniors, this scholarship would go to a deserving seventh or eighth grader from the Lunch Buddy participants at Sam Houston Middle School (20-25 potential applicants). Why a middle schooler? According to Jan, the anonymous donor felt it would be a good opportunity to give a student motivation to do well in high school if they knew a scholarship was waiting for them upon graduation. So, the search began. 

Nine students applied for the scholarship. The field was eventually narrowed down to five finalists, each of whom went through personal interviews with the search committee, which consisted of Jan, the Sam Houston principal and counselor, the Communities in Schools representative, and one other IBCer. 

According to Jan, one candidate stood out: “We felt the scholarship would be a motivation for her and would make a difference in her high school experience. It is a motivational scholarship, so we weren’t looking necessarily for the best qualified candidate, but for someone for whom the scholarship would make a significant difference.”

And that student was Ashlyn James.

“I never thought I would be able to go to a big university. I am very happy to have this opportunity,” said Ashlyn.

Ashlyn is an energetic 14-year-old with tons of enthusiasm. She is part of the AVID program at Sam Houston. AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination, is an elementary-through-postsecondary-college readiness system designed to increase school-wide learning and performance while preparing students for college success. As part of the AVID program, Ashlyn has already gotten a taste of college life when she and her classmates had the opportunity to visit UNT and UTA. She loved them both and definitely wants to live on campus. She also took a video tour of TCU and was very impressed with that school as well. 

Ashlyn has been part of the Lunch Buddy program for two years now with her “buddy,” Megan. Ashlyn says Megan has been so influential in her life — from helping her study to just chatting about everyday stuff. Ashlyn’s mom, Racquel, agrees. Racquel says Megan goes above and beyond being a Lunch Buddy and is probably one of the reasons Ashlyn is doing so well in school. 

Racquel is also very grateful for her daughter’s scholarship. “With college costs rising every year, it is getting harder and harder to think about affording college. I am very grateful and extremely happy that Ashlyn got this scholarship,” Racquel said.

Ashlyn is an avid reader and says English and Reading are her favorite subjects. She also loves to write and would like to be a counselor after college. She says she sometimes gets into trouble for reading instead of doing her chores. But, it may be all that reading will pay off. As long as Ashlyn maintains a grade point average of 80, has good attendance and graduates in the top 40 percent of her class, a $20,0000 college scholarship — $5,000 each year — will be hers. 

Ashlyn says meeting those requirements will be easy — although she is a bit concerned about that pesky Algebra class. Many classmates have told her how hard Algebra is but that doesn’t deter her. “All I have to do is think about my scholarship and that will be all the motivation I need!”

Get ready MacArthur High School: Ashlyn James is headed your way.

About SchoolWorks

The goal of SchoolWorks is to provide a church partner for every public school in our community. SchoolWorks currently supports five school districts with fourteen partner churches, including Irving Bible Church. IBC supports Townsell Elementary, Las Colinas Elementary and Sam Houston Middle School with Half-Hour Heroes (Lunch Buddies/Reading Buddies), along with offering teacher support and school supplies. For more information or to get involved, contact Jan Fanning at .