"Hey ya’ll, my name is Trei Dudley and I am currently a sophomore at the University of Arkansas majoring in Business. I am originally from Lawrence, Kansas and definitely had a journey to get to where I am today. I believe that everyone has their battles, trials and tribulations and all around issues that they have to deal with throughout their lives and growing up, I had a ton. From abuse in the house, to my parents splitting up, living in shelters, not knowing where our next meal was coming from, people shooting at our house, police tearing down our doors… it all happened for a reason. Now, I don’t share my story for people to feel sorry for me, I tell it for them to see how amazing The Lord works and what he can do. BUT, the story does not end there. At that point in my life two things happened. One, I was introduced to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lawrence, where I met mentors who to this day are still a HUGE part of my life and I thank God every day for placing them with me. Secondly, I decided that there were two paths in life I could take; I could take pity on myself and mope around thinking about all that I had been through, or I could use my experiences to help mold and make me into a better person, with the help and guidance of the Lord, which is the path that I chose. From that point on, school seemed like more than just a place to go to get an education, but it would become a foundation for the start of my future. I always had a dream of going to college, but in 8th grade I decided that I wanted to go out of state. Now, I knew this was going to be stretch because unless I had a TON of scholarship money, there would be no way I could afford it. But, I was then introduced to the Youth of the Year program through the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. This was another turning point in my life where God truly used me. This scholarship program had the potential for any one student to receive $61,000 in scholarship money from Tupperware Brands. The first time I participated I did not even make it past the local level. My freshman year, I was blessed enough to make it to Regionals however I did not advance past that level. The director of my local Boys & Girls Club sat me down and told me that she was going to make me take the next two years off and I could try again my senior year of high school. I did not see it at the time, but that was a HUGE blessing. I was able to go back and try it again my senior year, where I became the National Youth of the Year for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, making me the national spokesperson for the 4.1 million teens that attend Boys & Girls Clubs each day! Along with this, I received over $80,000 in scholarships, a new car and for the past year I have been able to travel the United States meeting different people such as President Barack Obama, Denzel Washington, Shaquille O’Neal, Ashanti, Michael Phelps, Run DMC, and so many others. Along with that, the Lord placed four other strong, motivated teens into my life that I am still close to today. The Youth of the Year experience changed my life, immensely. This journey wasn’t always easy, there were many times where I wanted to be out with my friends instead of at home writing the eight scholarship essays it required to participate in Youth of the Year, but I always kept this verse in my thoughts, 2 Corinthians 5:7 “walk by faith, not by sight”. I knew that the Lord was putting this opportunity in my life for the third time for a reason and had I not obeyed him and fell into the “trap” of hanging out with my friends, I would not have been able to fulfill my dream to go to college out of state! The Lord is too good!! I know that was a lot, but if there is one thing that ya’ll take out of this testimony, it is to always trust in the Lord, through the good and the bad. You may not always understand why he is taking you through the journey that you are on, but you’re not supposed to. He has a plan, you have to trust in it and always remember that he will never leave your side! Keep faith, keep praying, and keep your beautiful head up! Everything happens for a reason! God Bless!" Age: 19 years old Attends: University of Arkansas Lawrence, Kansas
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