Gilchrist's Story

I'm not a very complex person. I speak simply because, instead of spending time pretending to be smart, I try to spend time understanding how little I know and how much I have to learn from previous generations. I am a junior here at Salpointe and from the bottom of my heart, I would like to say thank you for giving me a chance at a better life.

From the day I was born, it was already clear that life would not be easy. My family immigrated, first from Togo (in Africa) to France, then eventually made their way to America, where I now realize I was lucky to be born. My parents worked very hard to give me everything I needed to succeed. I went to a charter school and learned what I needed to do to make sure my family never struggled again.

From the time I started at Salpointe, I had very big ambitions and goals for my life. I joined football and wrestling and was interested in doing much more until problems started to arise, money being the biggest of all of them. I was very concerned and had to drop everything I was doing to take care of my problems. I felt trapped by my situation, I felt hopeless and scared for my future. Was my hard work up until now just useless?

In the middle of my panic, I got a definite response from God not to worry and the second I trusted in him, I received the greatest blessing of my life. I didn't know how to react the day I found out my tuition was fully covered by all of you and other scholarship organizations. I didn't just feel happy, I felt proud that someone believed in me enough to invest their money in me. I felt like I could fight to improve my life and help others because no matter what, I was given the best opportunity for my future. The same goes for every single person you support. The students of Salpointe are some of the smartest students I've ever met, with more drive for success than I thought possible. Being at Salpointe does more than give me an education. It provides me and every other student who struggles a reason to keep working.

Because
you believe in all of us, we know that we have expectations to live up to. But instead of feeling pressured by it, we feel better than ever knowing that each of you expects greatness. As a little kid, I just wanted to make money and retire early. Thanks to all of you my thoughts went from how much money can I make quickly to how can I make the world a better place. I may not have the money to help kids get through better schools, but I do have a strong desire to help everyone have a better life. I want to live in a world where everyone has the opportunity to be happy. My generation may be the future, but if it wasn't for the hard work and generosity of the past, we would be nothing.

Thank you for reading my story because even though these experiences are my own, I speak for all the kids you support and say thank you for your contribution and thank you for your time.
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Salpointe Catholic High School

1545 E. Copper St.,
Tucson, AZ 85719
(520) 327-6581
Attendance: (520) 327-1990
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