Fr. Charles Irvin Scholarship Winner and Finalists anser the question:
What has been the most significant
religious teaching or lesson that has
shaped your life and why?

In appreciation for the efforts of Fr. Charles Irvin's leadership in launching FAITH Magazine and in order to encourage vocations in Catholic journalism in our Catholic High Schools, FAITH Magazine sponsored a new writing scholarship, which was awarded this Spring.

The topic: What has been the most significant religious teaching or lesson that has shaped your life and why? How will it impact your adult life? We received many excellent essays. Besides being published in FAITH, the winner received a $500 scholarship. The top essays were: Scholarship Winner, Annie Jansen, Lumen Christi | Powers 1st Place, Teresa Ortega | Lansing Catholic Central, No submissions | Fr. Gabriel Richard 1st Place, Beth Heemstra.

This girl knows that whatever she does in life, she has a solid foundation to fall back on. She knows that she has loving parents, a caring brother, and friends who will always listen. The most important thing she learned is that she is special. She knows she was made in God’s own image, and that makes her special.

feeling a little
too 'average'?
a journey to find self-worth
By Annie Jansen, of Lumen Christi High School and winner of the Fr. Charles Irvin Writing Scholarship | Photography by Christine Jones

O nce upon a time, there was a little girl. This little girl lived in an average house in an average city and attended an average school. Her family was just like the ones on television. She had an older brother and two happy parents. She played with her friends and didn’t have a care in the world. The little girl wasn’t pretty, and she wasn’t gifted, but she was happy.

When she got older, the little girl learned a lot about the world. She learned about all the strife and unhappiness. She learned about corruption. Most of all, she learned that she wasn’t special. She learned that there wasn’t anything she was exceptionally good at, and she found out that she wasn’t beautiful. She still lived in an average house in an average city and attended an average school, but she was unhappy. Her parents started worrying about her.

This girl went to Mass every Sunday. Sometimes she went with her family, and sometimes she went by herself. She didn’t really know why she went; it was just something she did. She didn’t like it or dislike it; she just went.

One day, the girl went to a youth group meeting on a Wednesday night. It wasn’t something her parents made her do or that gave her extra credit in school. She wanted to go. Pretty soon, she was going every Wednesday. There was something about that room and the people there that made her happy again, even though she knew the truth about the world.

When she was there, she understood what the world really is. She understood that everyone is special, no matter who they are or what they do. She understood that the corruption and strife in the world is bad, but it can be mended. She understood that she could help. This made her feel special.

The girl started helping out with service projects. She started spending her time helping others instead of feeling sorry for herself. She started going to Mass on Sundays because it made her feel good, not because it was something she had always done. Her parents noticed a change in her. Her friends started asking her about youth group. She told them what it was like, and they started going, too. Everyone was happy again.

The girl started high school. She still went to youth group meetings and pledged her time with service projects. She was busy, but content. Soon, things started piling up. She didn’t have time for everything she wanted to do. She met new people, and wanted to spend time with them instead of the service projects she loved so dearly. Little by little, she became less involved with her youth group, but she always remembered what she learned there, and was happy.

Now the girl is ready for college. She’ll be living in a different city next year. She’s a little nervous, but she knows she’ll be OK. When she was going to youth group, she heard about kids who went away to school and questioned everything. She knows this will probably happen to her, but she also knows where to turn when it does.

This girl knows that whatever she does in life, she has a solid foundation to fall back on. She knows that she has loving parents, a caring brother, and friends who will always listen. The most important thing she learned is that she is special. She knows she was made in God’s own image, and that makes her special. She knows that although there is unhappiness, and it will take a long time and a lot of work to rid the world of it, she can help. She knows that as an adult, she will have a lot of responsibilities, and a lot to live up to. She knows it will be hard at times. She knows there will be times when she will be unhappy. She also knows that whenever she does become unhappy, she can think back to what she learned from youth group, and get past it.

This girl has been through an average teenage existence. She had some problems, but she got through them. She did some things she wishes she hadn’t done, and didn’t do some things she wishes she had. She has a family who cares about her. She has a good education to support her. There is one thing that sets her apart, though. She knows her worth. She knows that she, and everyone else, is special. This one small lesson will shine through each and every thing that she does in her life.