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Imagine being told your entire life that you are stupid and believing it to be true; this is how Marceia Bonin-Turner described her life before coming to Christian Women’s Job Corps (CWJC) in Nashville.
“I came to CWJC broken because of a lifetime of abuse,” Bonin-Turner said. “For years, I was told I wasn’t good enough or smart enough and I believed it.”
But now, after graduating from CWJC and earning her GED in 2011, Bonin-Turner’s story looks different.
She will continue her education at Nashville State Community College as a recipient of the Faye Dove Scholarship Award, established in 2013 by national Woman’s Missionary Union.
The new annual scholarship honors select CWJC graduates who have demonstrated perseverance in achieving personal goals and plan to continue their education. Bonin-Turner was awarded a $1,000 scholarship.
She plans to continue her education, earn a master’s degree and become a licensed therapist. She credits the CWJC for her success.
“Because of the love and encouragement I received at CWJC, I am literally forever changed,” she said. “The positive environment helped me more than words can say.”
Sober for five years, she volunteers 20 hours a week to help women who are fighting addictions, and is confidently rebuilding her life.
“God has carried me through so many of life’s challenges,” she said. “At CWJC, I found hope, love and acceptance. It was so beautiful to begin to believe that I could get beyond my insecurities. That’s what I found at CWJC and I have carried that with me into all facets of my life.”
(BP)
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