36 | Cedarville Magazine Cedarville Magazine 251 N. Main St., Cedarville, OH 45314 1-888-CEDARVILLE | magazine@cedarville.edu cedarville.edu/magazine It has been my privilege to serve as Director of Financial Aid at Cedarville Universi ty the last 10 years. I have had the honor of blessing thousands of students and their families with the good news of f i nanc i a l a i d awa rds that made a Cedarville education more affordable for them. I n my t ime he r e , I have often been used of God in a more personal way to help students who were struggling financially. I recall one student who came in at the end of her freshman year. She walked by my office, and she was crying, tears just streaming down her face. I didn’t know this young woman previously but in the sovereignty of God, I did get to meet her, and I learned her story. She came from a large family, and one of her siblings had many health issues and was in and out of the hospital. Throughout her college career, there had been numerous emergency trips to the hospital and her family’s finances were stretched. When i t came t ime for her to graduate, she owed quite a bit of money. She thought it would be several months or years even before she would be able to get her diploma and transcripts, but because of a generous gift from a donor, she was able to pay the balance of what she owed. The day before she was to graduate, she came into my office to thank me for our efforts and as she left, she was crying, as she did at the end of her freshman year. However, this time, her tears were of pure joy and a thankful spirit. I believe I cried with her. I was invited to her wedding, and she gave me a hug and thanked me. To this day, when I see her, she thanks me. And on social media, she recently made a comment when she paid off her student loans, thanking those who helped her, adding, “You know who you are.” That was very heartwarming. This is just one of many, many s t or i es . F i nd i ng resources for international s t uden t s who a r e no t el igible for the kind of financial aid available to U.S. students. A young man who needed just that extra little bit of help, and when we awarded him $400, you would have thought by his reaction he had received $10,000. From a small institutional grant to merit-based awards to donor-funded scholarships, every penny is making a difference in helping a student who longs for a Cedarville education to be here, and not just receive a degree, but to experience something that is at the core of our University: an excellent education and intentional discipleship in submission to biblical authority. This is life transformation. Thank you for being part of the life transformation of students through your financial support of Cedarville University. Thank you for your prayers and gifts that enable us to make a difference in the lives of these students, who then go from here to have a Kingdom impact on their workplaces, neighborhoods, churches, and communities. Because of you, I am able to say to a student wondering if she can finish her degree, “Relax, we can help you; God has provided through the Cedarville family.” Kim Jenerette ’83 is Executive Director of Financial Aid. YOUR GIFT CHANGES LIVES IN CLOSING
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