My name is Rebekah Williams, I am 18 and somewhere between a junior and a senior at West Chester University, you could call that unique, but for me, that's all I know. Four of my high school friends, Jon, Ryan, Scott, and Matt, used to take classes with me, and soon, a whole new round of friends are coming to join me. My education began when I was three years old, about the moment I told my mom I was old enough to read my own books and she needed to teach me how. Then when I was eight, I secured my first job, I work at a traveling carnival. Well, sometimes. I am actually an office assistant at a property management company 9-5, three days a week while I work towards my Bachelor's degree in business management with a focus on professional writing. I started my journey as a dual enrollment student in the Liberal Arts program at Delaware County Community College. I had been homeschooled my entire life up to that point, with the exception of three semesters using a cyber-charter school called PALCS.
When I'm not at school or work, I am usually doing something art related, I love every form of art there is, music, dance, voice, theater, poetry, painting, writing, and sketching, I have yet to master pottery, but with the lack of free time I have between college and church, my favorite creative outlets are writing and photography. It's funny to think you can capture one's entire life and surroundings on a memory card, yet even once you've seen every picture, sometimes the details are found most clearly when you read the thousand words hidden inside.
I was born around West Chester PA, moved out to Lancaster for about 6 years, then we moved right back into the same house we lived in when I was born. I live with my Mommom and Poppop, Mom, Dad, my two younger brothers, my younger sister, and my cat, Scrunchy. As of a few years ago, I was diagnosed with Epilepsy, recently, I've had somebody challenge me to become an advocate in my community. I hope to do an Epilepsy walk this summer, and I'd like to help break down the stigma that surrounds epilepsy. In fact, many people have had a seizure already, but they were so young that their parents found it unimportant to mention. In talking to my friends, I've learned that many of them have had seizures as children, and they are more than accepting of my condition. They too would like to see the stigma disappear.
The most important thing about me, is that I'm a Christian. I have a passion for high school/young-adult ministry. I volunteer at my church as much as I possibly can, and as of August 5th, (2018) I am actually a high school leader at Calvary Chapel of Delaware County. That essentially means that I have the chance to talk with high school students about their beliefs and help nurture them along. If they haven't been around in a while or they don't seem to be connecting well with other students, I call them, ask them to hang out, or introduce them to someone new. Because I'm still a teenager, I also have the opportunity to connect better with the students and hear their honest opinions on what they struggle to understand and what they want to hear us teach. I think that it's a really incredible opportunity and that it is worthwhile for any Christian to take a chance to see how they can impact the youth community. The current statistic says that on any given Sunday, over 40% of the church body is missing, and that 80% of youth leave the church after graduating high school, at this rate, their might not be anybody left in another few years. It is paramount that we do what we can to set these students up on a strong foundation so that they are willing to continue their journey with the Lord even when their parents are no longer requiring them to tag along.