Joslyn Juhl, Gift of Hope Scholarship recipient, believes that her position – as the oldest of four children – strengthened her leadership skills and her desire to lead.
Your gifts on United Methodist Student Day, enables The United Methodist Church to supports the Gift of Hope Scholarship so that students can prepare for life in uniting faith with knowledge.
“I grew up in northern Illinois, attended public school, and graduated number 6 out of 450 students in my high school,” she said. “I attended church all through my childhood, and I was confirmed in 2012. After that, I volunteered with the next confirmation class and learned even more about my faith.”
A member of Roscoe United Methodist Church, 80 miles west of Chicago, Joslyn credits the denomination with having a phenomenal impact on her life. “Some of my biggest supporters and mentors are from the congregation,” she said. “I started volunteering in the church when I was in middle school. I have been on eight mission trips, and all of them have had some tie to The United Methodist Church. Even since coming to college I have made missions an important part of my life.”
At the University of Indianapolis, Joslyn completed studies in the accelerated nursing program in 2019. She had weekly clinicals and gained experience in medicine/surgery, obstetrics and critical care. “Currently, I am most interested in becoming a labor and delivery nurse,” she said, “but that may change after I gain clinical experience in other areas.
“Because I have a passion for service, I knew that I wanted to choose a career that would allow me to continue to serve people. Nursing is a perfect fit for that, and I am most looking forward to caring for patients and their families holistically.”
Joslyn appreciated her school’s affiliation with The United Methodist Church. “I am so grateful,” she said, “for the opportunities to build relationships with people in a Christian community. I know that if I would have chosen to attend another school, my experience would have been very different.
“I have also been playing bells at church since middle school, and when I went to college, I knew that was something I wanted to continue. I was thrilled when I found out that I could take a handbells class at UIndy and get college credit for it! I took the class three times and joined a handbell choir at a United Methodist church in Indianapolis.”
As president of the university’s United Methodist Student Association, she enjoyed working with other student leaders on campus and building relationships with local United Methodist churches and organizations.
The Gift of Hope Scholarship, Joslyn said, “changed my life because it decreased my financial stress and encouraged me to continue my involvement in The United Methodist Church.”
United Methodists celebrate Student Day on the last Sunday in November (Nov. 29, 2020). The churchwide special offering supports United Methodist scholarships and the United Methodist Student Loan Fund. Please give generously!
Barbara Dunlap-Berg, freelance writer and editor, retired from UMCom
One of six churchwide Special Sundays with offerings of The United Methodist Church, United Methodist Student Day calls the church to support students as they prepare for life in uniting faith with knowledge. The special offering provides scholarships for qualified United Methodist applicants.
When you give generously on United Methodist Student Day, you support students as they prepare for life in uniting faith with knowledge. Give now.
