Gloria Dress 2010

I was so pleased with last year's recipient of the Gloria Dress that I seriously considered working with the same high school to find another deserving junior or senior for this award. However, after I became aware of Jeanie's story, I knew she would be a fitting recipient of the Gloria Dress. Jeanie and her family have faced a difficult year but Jeanie continues to smile and be a good example for her family and her peers. Here is her story, in her own words:I am truly thankful that The Yellow Rose chose me for this scholarship. I am grateful to have heard the inspiring story of Mrs. Kilgore's sister, who overcame her own tribulations and continued even when the going got tough. Hearing Gloria's story made me reminisce on this past year and the very hard experiences I've gone through with my youngest brother. Gloria's story has shown me that it's possible to succeed at anything when you set your mind and heart to it.

My youngest sibling, Jason, almost died last year in a pool accident. He fell into the water when no one else was looking. My family and I found him face down in the water. We pulled him out and because I had recently learned CPR at my church's girls camp, I tried to perform it on Jason to the best of my abilities. Thankfully I managed to get a slight pulse back. Jason was taken to the hospital where he was in a coma for a few weeks. It took some time and many prayers, but he eventually recovered fully. This has been one of the hardest experiences of my life and it has reinforced my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ immensely. I thank my Heavenly Father for the tremendous miracle that he allowed in not only my family’s life, but the lives of many others.

I come from a modest Honduran family and I am grateful for the blessing of living in this country and the many opportunities I have for gaining an education. I currently have a 4.0 GPA and I’m involved in various extracurricular activities such as playing soccer for the Junior Varsity team at South Gwinnett High School. This past soccer season I received the Coach’s award for being the player who most exhibited a positive attitude and always pushed to do her best. I’m also in Beta Club and S.L.E.D (Student Leadership Ethics Development) and these clubs have taught me a lot about how to be a leader and how to make the community a better place. In addition to my academic classes, I also attend early-morning church seminary and it is my favorite part of the day. I love being able to start off my day with a spiritual uplift. I’ve been taught by my parents that having an education is extremely important and I work hard to achieve my academic goals. After I graduate high school I hope to continue my education at Brigham Young University.