Thank you to Gigi, a 2020 PFL Scholarship recipient, for providing this blog post!

It was such an honor to be chosen as one of the recipients of the Lutzie 43 PFL Character Scholarship this year. It means so much to me to have been selected and I want to thank the Lutzie 43 Foundation for their generosity and their powerful message!  When Mike Lutzenkirchen spoke at my school it impressed upon me the importance of walking in grace with God and being open to helping others. It was amazing to me how he is keeping alive the memory of his son through the foundation by reaching out to young students and reminding them of what is really important in this life. I loved the simple goal of his message about making wise decisions about distracted driving. My parents grew up in a time before cell phones and Snapchat, before the world really had research or understanding about how easily driving while doing other things could have deadly consequences. Today we have research and laws to back up this very wise advice, but each person must commit to being the safest driver they can be each and every they drive. Sometimes things that can seem so obvious often go unsaid, and Mike wants to make sure this generation of drivers know what is at stake. I can’t imagine what it was like for the Lutzenkirchen family to have lost their son at the young age of 23. I appreciate that they are willing to relive this tragedy in order to do good and save lives, their bravery in doing this humbling and inspiring.

I was also blessed to be able to complete the 43 Lessons to Legacy at my school. This program asks teens to have an eternal perspective on the decisions they make every day of their lives. What I love most about the 43 Lessons to Legacy was the smallness of the gestures that were remembered. It wasn’t about just one earth-shattering nice thing that Philip had done once upon a time. It was about a daily devotion to shining the light of Christ where ever he was, in whatever circumstance he was in. This message serves as a reminder that one life touches many others and that your decisions, good or bad, do not affect only you.

This concept is what has made the greatest impact on my life. As just a teenager in high school I’ve always thought “I’m still young, what can I really do” and “Sure I’ll smile and wave but only being able to do that is close to worthless” but as we went through the 43 Lessons, I realized the value of a smile and the resounding effect of a small gesture. As a teenager, I might not have the finances to gift abundantly or the skill set to be of service, but I do have the time and the heart to give graciously and to pour out what has been poured into me by parents, teachers, friends, and mentors.

I want to thank the Lutzie 43 Foundation not only for honoring me with the PFL Character Scholarship but also for the profound impact your message has had on my life. I can not wait to see the growing impact this message will have on my generation and many others.

Learn more about Gigi, watch her video here.