Westmont Magazine The Westmont Fund is All About Students
Sarah Chhum ’12 never thought seriously about attending Westmont until she sensed God calling her to enroll. Initially, her father opposed the idea because of the cost. But the former pastor changed his mind when he learned her reason. Sarah showed up for classes uncertain how she’d pay for her Westmont education and trusting God to provide. She told herself she’d be content with whatever happened. Staff members in the financial aid office helped her apply for assistance, and she received a cultural diversity grant and other aid that allowed her to stay.
As a sophomore, she walked onto the tennis team and won an athletic scholarship that provided additional help. Meanwhile, she works hard as a biology major and hopes to attend medical school or physician assistant school after graduating. In 2010, she embarked on a Mayterm trip to Thailand and Cambodia to study modern slavery. “Seeing human trafficking in person was hard,” she says. “It made me think differently about the world.”
The next semester she went to Westmont in San Francisco and completed an internship with Call+Response, an organization that fights trafficking. “I’ve been stretched,” she says. “I’ve had to fully surrender and depend on God not just for finances but for everything. I’ve become more aware of suffering in the world and how blessed we are — and I want to do what I can to help.”
Your gifts to the Westmont Fund give scholars like Sarah the opportunity to make a positive impact in our world for God’s Kingdom. Go to www.westmont.edu/giving to donate and meet other students. Read more at westmontimpact.org.
The Westmont Fund: Expanding the ministry of Westmont