For more than 30 years, Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) has hosted an annual Women of Distinction luncheon to honor women who cherish community and family and want to preserve those ideals for others. This year’s luncheon honors Penny G. Murphy and Amanda Schumacher. Importantly, proceeds from the luncheon are used to invest in molding leaders of the next generation by providing scholarships to deserving students who demonstrate outstanding academics, service and leadership. This year, PBA awarded six students: Elizabeth Akintujoye, Reagan Bozarth, Claire Crossman, Valentina Guzman, Ludnie Saint-Justce and Julia Seagle. We wanted to learn more about their God-sized dreams and how they view servant leadership.
Elizabeth Akintujoye
Year/Major
Senior; biology with a pre-health concentration
Hometown
Boca Raton, Florida
What is your God-sized dream? What do you hope to do with your PBA education during your years here and after graduating?
My God-sized dream is to make an incredible impact in the area of medical science. I would like to use my PBA education to study diseases and find their possible cures.
What is the importance of servant leadership in your life and chosen career? How do you view community service/Workship playing a part in your calling?
Servant leadership is paramount in the area of medical science and education. Humility is required to learn the intricacies of organisms that pose potential threats to the human body. Additionally, collaboration is central to making important discoveries. My Workship experience in the elementary school I volunteered at and the mission trip I participated in have established the roots of servant leadership and working well with a team to accomplish the goal of helping others.
Reagan Bozarth
Year/Major
Freshman; Double major in forensic science and psychology
Hometown
Charleston, South Carolina
What is your God-sized dream? What do you hope to do with your PBA education during your years here and after graduating?
My God-sized dream is to serve others by seeking truth and justice while being a light in environments that show the darker sides of human nature. Through attending PBA, I believe I will acquire powerful tools to approach the field of crime with integrity, compassion, and a Christ-centered mindset. During my time at PBA, I hope to grow spiritually, academically, and personally, equipping myself to serve others in a meaningful way. After graduating, I aspire to work in crime scene investigations, using my education to glorify God and reflect God’s love in all that I do.
What is the importance of servant leadership in your life and chosen career? How do you view community service/Workship playing a part in your calling?
I believe servant leadership is essential to my life because it reflects Christ’s example of humility, service, and love. Community service and PBA’s Workship program will allow me to develop a heart for serving others, which will shape the way I approach my career and calling. I want to serve others by being an advocate for truth, treating victims and families with compassion, and upholding integrity in all aspects of my work.
Claire Crossman
Year/Major
Junior; theatre
Hometown
Orlando, Florida
What is your God-sized dream? What do you hope to do with your PBA education during your years here and after graduating?
My God-sized dream is to use my gifts of storytelling to create significant impact within my community. An essential aspect of Jesus’ teaching was his use of parables to convey profound messages. This approach incorporates an element of theatricality within his narratives. Stories are used to enhance the overall message and facilitate a deeper understanding for the audience. Jesus exemplifies the crucial role that storytelling plays in education and societal advancement. One of the most significant aspects of my experience as a PBA student has been the relationships I have developed with my peers, mentors, and professors. It is both encouraging and a privilege to know that I will maintain these connections throughout my life. I am confident that, regardless of where my career takes me, my PBA network will continue to provide support. Furthermore, I have greatly benefited from a liberal arts education, particularly through the Socratic and classical learning offered by the honors program, which have enriched my understanding of theatre.
What is the importance of servant leadership in your life and chosen career? How do you view community service/Workship playing a part in your calling?
In many instances, we observe a culture of self-promotion within Hollywood. However, I believe the goal of theatre is to serve the community. I align myself with Christ’s example of erving to enhance my performance as an actor. There are diverse ways to connect with individuals, as we all share the human desire to be seen, heard, and known. My objective is to express love and act as a positive influence in challenging circumstances through theatre.
Valentina Guzman
Year/Major
Sophomore; pre-physician assistant (P.A.), majoring in exercise science
Hometown
West Palm Beach, Florida
What is your God-sized dream? What do you hope to do with your PBA education during your years here and after graduating?
My God-sized dream is to become a Physician Assistant (PA) who serves in full time ministry. Whether as a missionary in other countries or serving within my local community, I aspire to practice medicine as a ministry. I find joy in serving others and sharing the love of Christ, which I currently experience in my role as a medical assistant at an underprivileged clinic. I hope to continue my education to provide deeper care for patients. I envision pursuing a doctorate in the future in order to teach and establish P.A. programs in other parts of the world, including those in which the physician assistant profession has not yet arisen. This would allow me to equip, disciple and prepare others to serve in this impactful field, continuing to share the love of Christ through medicine. While I feel a strong calling towards serving athletes and specializing in orthopedic surgery, I ultimately trust the Lord to guide me towards the specific specialty that aligns with His will.
What is the importance of servant leadership in your life and chosen career? How do you view community service/Workship playing a part in your calling?
Through servant leadership, the Lord has instilled in me a burning passion to serve as His hands and feet. My involvement in the cancer research program at PBA and my service to underprivileged communities through various organizations as well as at my church has deepened my understanding of agape love – a love that surpasses all material possessions and seeks nothing in return. Through servant leadership, I am learning to cultivate compassion, patience and gentleness, allowing the Lord to mold my character to more closely resemble His. I’ve gained valuable insights into the challenges faced by people from various backgrounds. These experiences have deepened my empathy and compassion, which are essential qualities for a healthcare professional that seeks to reflect Christ. Furthermore, servant leadership has provided me with opportunities to connect with individuals who have poured into my life in ways I never could have imagined. By simply offering a smile, the Lord has shown me how to share His love with others.
Ludnie Saint-Juste
Year/Major
Freshman; Double major in biology on a pre-vet track and ministry leadership
Hometown
Naples, Florida
What is your God-sized dream? What do you hope to do with your PBA education during your years here and after graduating?
My God-sized dream is to find a way to combine my vocation with vet med with ministry leadership. I hope to use what I learned to spread the gospel in my career and future life.
What is the importance of servant leadership in your life and chosen career? How do you view community service/Workship playing a part in your calling?
The importance of servant leadership in my life is large. I have learned how to serve after being served. For example, I used to be a vet assistant intern, and I got to use my certification to serve the people in my community. I also was able to help animals get rescued by using these resources. Getting to help and provide care with my peers for people’s animals brings me joy. It shows how, when the body works together, mighty things can happen. I see servant leadership always being a part of my life at different stages – the amount of help I have to offer may vary, but I will always make time to serve.
Julia Seagle
Year/Major
Junior; nursing
Hometown
St. Augustine, Florida
What is your God-sized dream? What do you hope to do with your PBA education during your years here and after graduating?
During my time at PBA, I have had the opportunity to learn the skills of nursing and, more importantly, how to serve and be used by God through this calling. This past year, while serving on a medical mission to Brazil through PBA, I felt confirmation that the Lord is calling me to use all the knowledge and abilities I have to love Jesus and to bring glory to Him through nursing. After graduating, I plan to gain more experience in nursing and continue in upper-level programs to be able to enter the mission field and serve in places lacking medical care. I am confident that wherever I am, I can serve the Lord by caring for His people. I am grateful for PBA’s emphasis on advancing the kingdom through all the vocations the university offers.
What is the importance of servant leadership in your life and chosen career? How do you view community service/Workship playing a part in your calling?
I believe that servant leadership should define the role of a nurse. In this career, it is so important to think less of yourself and more of others. The Lord calls us to serve and care for His people. Through tending to others’ physical needs, we can show them the love of Christ. I have seen throughout clinicals and patient experience that getting on their level and showing empathy curates the best response in helping the patient feel seen and known. The nursing path opens so many doors to share the hope of the gospel, often in times of great need and openness to receive this good news.
Congratulations to all the scholarship winners!
