This was written in my senior year of high school since then things have changed read my bio to see the transformation.
My Adventist heritage is not spectacular, my mother has been Adventist all of her life. She grew up in a Christian school and attended Andrews University. Her parents were conservative, but as she got older she became less conservative. Her mother and father both were active in their church they attended Shiloh Seventh-day Adventist church. My grandfather was a deacon at Shiloh. My grandmother served as Sabbath school superintendent, Sabbath school teacher, Church clerk, treas. and AY director.
My father growing up was raised Catholic. Attending Catholic schools and attending mass. He was one of four children and he was the youngest. When my dad was roughly 16 his father passed away, leaving him without a father. My father was the star quarterback of his high school football te. When he was older, he had his first experience with the Adventist Church. He visited his first Adventist Church with his older brother who became a Seventh-day Adventist. My father's first that he went to was Shiloh church he, visited 4 other Adventist Church's. Before one day he saw my mother, he went and spoke to my mother and a month later they started dating. In between that time my father became a Seventh-day Adventist conjoined the Goshen Seventh-day Adventist church. That church was the church I would be eventually Born into.
After dating for a while my parents got married at a church that we would eventually become members of even till this day we attend the Hyde Park seventh day Adventist church. I and my brother I were raised Seventh-day Adventists and we attended the Goshen seventh day Adventist Church in the Illinois Conference.
I attended a Christian school consecutively for nine years for the ninth and 10th year of my schooling I attended public school. I attended a Christian preschool and daycare, from preschool until eighth-grade I went to South suburban Seventh-day Adventist Christian school. And once I got to high school I went to Homewood Flossmoor High school. During my freshman year of high school, everything was okay grades were decent I had a couple of friends everything was cool.
My sophomore year also coincided with my little brothers the first year of high school and my parents along with my little brother decided that he would attend Hinsdale Adventist Academy. That decision announced to me changed my life forever. My first time visiting Wednesday I was on back-to-school night two years ago. I met Matthew Agard and Austin Hill, I was consistently asked one simple question when what I come to Hinsdale. I would arrogantly reply never, my school is the best in the country. But God works in mysterious ways very soon after back-to-school night I got into a deep depression. Always sad crying I was bullied make fun of the reasons I could not even imagine.
I asked God why did I have a heart problem why cannot play sports in high school. God never answer that question. And it drove me deeper into a depression to the point of contemplating suicide. And on one day in October that are changed, my little brother made the varsity basketball team but I was sitting in the balcony and Coach Adams walked up to me without even knowing, he only knew me as his brother and entrusted me with the school's camera in order to record the basketball games. And although he didn't know what he helps me find a new passion. That's literally helped me move out of this depression I was in. I became the videographer for the team, I slowly how to pride and joy again.
I want every game to support my brother and work on something I was passionate about. Then came Time for Texas tournament my family decided that we would all go to Texas to support the team. A couple of days before we left for Texas principal Jackson call me into his office but he did something that surprised me he told me how much he appreciated me recording the game for the team. And he gave me a shirt to wear Texas another small gesture changed my life. He gave me another reason to be happy he gave me a sense of appreciation something that I was missing at my other school.
The talk of me never come to Hinsdale changed on that Saturday. That outpour of love from all the players on the team changes my life. This was in the wintertime and I was no longer depressed and I talked to my parents on that Friday night after Vespers and I asked them could I go to Hinsdale. And they said all I have to do is ask Mr. Jackson if I could come to visit and tell him I wanted to attend Hinsdale. So on Saturday eating haystacks, I asked could I come to visit Hinsdale and told him that I was interested in attending. I slowly start coming back to God because for a short while I got lost in my walk with him. And when we got back home from Texas my Teachers could see if this will change in my attitude and appearance. And I made the announcement I would be leaving after this year. I also went to Andrews's tournament with the team and had another great enjoyable time by that point I knew I would be coming to Hinsdale. Towards the end of the school year still had an event called 30-hour famine. This was a time where I got to know a lot of the students. And I got to know when I have my favorite teachers at Hinsdale Mr. Dunham. I remember vividly the conversation that we had talking about history and my love for it he also heard about my ability and gift of video Recording we talked about the next school year.
Words can't express my love for Hinsdale Academy. I got used my family and my new himself in order to restore me back to the way I once was. Although I have a long way to complete my journey with God has it has been a vital part of my pad that this heritage. My parents in their walk with God led me to the point of where I need to go and where I knew I had to return back to an environment that I grew up in. My parents blessed me with the opportunity to go back to Christian education. I have something truly grateful for. looking back over my walk with God it's been a bumpy one, and I have a long way to go. That I'm thankful every day that I get to go to Hinsdale, there were days that my other school where would fake being sick so I could avoid torment. I hated school but God changed that around and make me have a love and dedication to my school. My parents both value Christian education, and now I did too.
Sometimes God does not answer your questions immediately sometimes he puts things in your life so you can understand and know he still there even the hard times God did that in my life got showed me that I do not have to play basketball in order to be happy he showed me that there are other ways to be happy if he revealed my gift and talent. He didn't do it on my time he didn't when he felt I was ready for it. in life sometimes God says yes, sometimes he says no or he says hold on. Sometimes God allows you to go through a fire in order for him to give Illumination into what he would want you to be. If I had to wrap up my personal Athens heritage in a short phrase. It would be, he never promised that the cost would not be heavy in the heel will not be hard to Climb just hold on and God will show up and he will take me through the fire again.
This was written in my senior year of high school since then things have changed read my bio to see the transformation.
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