The Carsons and Haley Eaker
Bryan College hosted its annual Bryan Opportunity Scholarship Program Dinner on Thursday, in the Portman Ballroom of the Westin Chattanooga. The Opportunity Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to academically qualified Tennessee students whose household income is below $60,000. 40 students currently qualify for this scholarship with an average family income of just $17,684.10.
This year, Bryan College was honored to welcome special guest speaker Dr. Ben Carson. At 33 years old, Dr. Carson became director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, where he pioneered the surgical separation of craniopagus twins. He is the founder and chairman of the American Cornerstone Institute and most recently served as the 17th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Dr. Carson had much wisdom to share with attendees, repeatedly returning to the faithfulness of God evidenced over the course of his life. He recounted how he went from the bottom of his class to the top in the span of a year and a half after his mother began pushing him to read more extensively. It wasn’t anything radical that resulted in this change, Dr. Carson pointed out. It was the consistent encouragement from his mother and solid education through the books he read that transformed his life.
Following Dr. Carson, Bryan student Haley Eaker shared her story. Ms. Eaker is currently a junior majoring in Civil Engineering. She grew up in a difficult home environment, experiencing abuse and poverty at an early age. Faith was an inconsistent part of her life, and her relationship with God ebbed and flowed with her life circumstances. But God remained faithful in her life. He disrupted her plans and allowed her to feel seen and wanted through the consistent pursuit of an admissions counselor who cared. He led her to meet a young girl with similar life experiences and showed her how she can use her past experiences to help others. Ms. Eaker has blossomed during her time at Bryan and continues to deepen her relationship with God: “Bryan has been a place where I’ve seen God work in extraordinary ways,” she said. “Through mentors, friendships, and opportunities—like an engineering internship I never thought possible—He has provided.”
Officials said, "We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of all those who contributed to supporting students like Haley. Our goal was to raise $300,000 for the Bryan Opportunity Scholarship Program, and donors exceeded this goal for a total of $360,245. We are excited to see how God will use Haley and others who will benefit from these funds to make a difference in today’s world."