Shawn Lamb
Rio Salado College
2013

My name is Shawn Lamb, and I am a 47 year old single mother of three. I have devoted my life to raising my three children to become educated and responsible adults by teaching and living a Christian life. I have always stressed the importance of becoming educated by obtaining a higher education such as a college degree.  I made many financial sacrifices to ensure that each of them has the opportunity to achieve their life goals; however, this meant I put my own college education on hold. As you can see from my transcripts, I have started and stopped my education many times over the past 30 years, but I am determined to finish.

I know without a shadow of a doubt the God has called me to the ministry of counseling. He has anointed me with the gifts of compassion, non-judgment, inspiration and encouragement.   He has called me to use my past life experiences of recovering from a crack cocaine addiction to educate, motivate, and inspire others to walk in recovery and to be free from the wreckage of the past to help them walk in Christ without shame or guilt.

My calling is to a group of individuals that the world in many ways has given up on or chosen to ignore. I know that if God called me, then he prepared me. However, without a formal education, I am unable to fulfill his work. This leaves me with no choice but to continue to do my utmost to complete my college degree.

Recovery has taught me a discipline that has carried over in all aspects of my life. I view the values of education as an investment in myself and the lives around me. Without my education, I will not be in a position to effectively walk in God’s calling on my life to enrich the lives of others and make a necessary contribution to society. Now that I have 20 years of sobriety, I have learned that a college education is essential to my Ministry. I am now a firm believer that deep passion and commitment is necessary in all that you do if you endeavor to be successful.

I am 10 credit hours away from obtaining my Associate’s Degree, of which I am currently enrolled in 7 hours for the spring semester. Once I complete my AA, I will continue on to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Public Management thru Northern Arizona University. This university now offers what is called a 90/30 split, which allows me to obtain ninety credit hours through a community college and then, complete the remaining 30 hours at the University.

The financial burden of college is very overwhelming, especially since I currently work two jobs while continuing to struggle to complete my Associate’s Degree. I believe I deserve this scholarship, mainly because it will assist me in completing God’s calling, and it will also help me to be the example for the individuals that I mentor and minister to. Also, I would love for my children to see me taking my own advice in seeking a higher education.