Staircases and crutches mix about as well as salsa and birthday cake. Erika Hultz’s friend discovered this firsthand as she hobbled up stairs during a visit to Seattle Pacific University. After watching her, a student came over and asked if she could pray for the woman’s knee.
Erika — in high school at the time — was stunned. “God feels real at SPU,” she says. “That trip convinced me that I wanted to be here.”
Her parents weren’t so sure. They had modest salaries, big medical bills, and two older children in college. “We just didn’t know how we would pay for it,” says her mom, Phyllis Hultz. “We said, ‘If you’re supposed to go, the Lord will provide a way.’”
At home in Ashland, Oregon, Erika continued life: school, work, youth group. She tutored younger students, and volunteered with disabled peers. Along the way, she wrote essays and filled out applications for 12 scholarships and three universities.
When Seattle Pacific’s financial aid award arrived, Erika cried in thanks and disbelief. SPU would be thousands of dollars less expensive than the other schools, and she wouldn’t need to take out loans.
Scholarships from SPU and Rotary, a
Seattle Pacific grant, and work study made her dream possible.
As a student, Erika spends 10–15 hours per week working at the Sylvan Learning Center, where she earns money in a work-study job. It can be frustrating to have less free time than some of her friends, but Erika doesn’t complain.
“I feel like I am blessed to even go to this school,” she says. “I can’t believe the way God has provided for me.”
Did you know? One of Erika Hultz’s scholarships is the Church Matching Scholarship, an award given by her church and matched by SPU up to $500. For $500 she can buy books and supplies for two quarters. |
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