What We Set in Motion
by Rev. Cara Stultz Costello, UMHEF President & CEO
At our recent UMHEF Board Meeting at Texas Wesleyan University, we gathered for dinner with students who have received UMHEF scholarships. As we listened to one student tell their story, I found myself thinking about something we can easily lose sight of when we talk about scholarships.
A scholarship is never simply about money. It is about what that money makes possible.
Sophia Macias is a sophomore at Texas Wesleyan thanks, in part, to a UMHEF scholarship. The oldest of three daughters, Sophia came to the United States from Mexico at the age of ten when her father—a Methodist pastor—moved the family for a job opportunity. Placed in a language center, Sophia learned English in one year from Mrs. Barreto who made sure Sophia knew she could do anything she put her mind to. Vowing to be just like her beloved teacher, Sophia is now able to pursue a degree from Texas Wesleyan in dual language education so she can extend a loving welcome to other children.
“This scholarship lets me pursue my dreams,” Sophia says. “I am deeply thankful that this scholarship continues to bless me and aids me on my journey to become the best teacher I can be.”
Stories like this help me see our work at UMHEF in a larger context. Higher education is facing significant pressures. Costs continue to shape students’ choices, while colleges and universities are asking important questions about how to sustain educational opportunities in a changing landscape. Yet, students continue to arrive on our campuses carrying hopes for their futures and asking what kind of life they are called to live.
John Wesley understood education as part of the work of forming the whole person. The life of the mind, the life of the heart, and the life we live in service to our neighbors belong together.
Our United Methodist-related colleges, universities, and seminaries carry that tradition forward. And UMHEF has the privilege of coming alongside them by helping make that education financially possible for the leaders of tomorrow.
Jesus once told a story about a sower scattering seed. The sower could not know exactly where every seed would take root or what it would eventually become. The work was simply to sow generously and trust that something would grow.
A gift to UMHEF is like seed scattered. It may help one student remain enrolled for another semester. It may allow a student to choose a school they otherwise could not afford. It may establish an endowment whose impact will continue long after the person who created it is gone.
We cannot always see what those gifts will set in motion. Sophia gives us a glimpse. Behind every scholarship is a person. Behind every person is a future we cannot yet see.
