Matthew Ortiz

  • Matthew Ortiz

$2500 Spirit of Love College Scholarship

My inspiration to serve comes from three people. The first one is my father. My father has been an inspiration to me through example. The way he serves is unlike anyone I have ever seen in that he will always take the time to sit down and talk with people who are in great need and distress. He is the kind of person who gives everything he can possibly give and then gives some more. I have seen him change people just giving them the time of day. I try to model this in my every day life.

The next person who has inspired me to serve is one of my friends who I would like to keep anonymous. She is the person who showed me that I was meant to serve. When she told me that she wanted to end her life, I was so impacted that something inside of me stirred. I did, and would do again, everything to show her that her life meant not just something, but everything. She was the first person I ever made smile through the tears and was able to show her the great love around her and her worth. She showed me that this is what I was meant to do.

My third and final inspiration is God. God inspires me in a way I think he inspires us all-by giving us our talents, which make us who we are. God gave me the gift and talent to put myself last no matter what the situation, “to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wound, to toil and not seek for rest, to labor and to not seek reward” (Prayer of St. Ignatius). God gave me the ability to serve and never stop because of the pain and burden it carried. While I have not always been strong enough to carry this gift, God has always picked me up and made me stronger. I will never take for granted this inspiration that I have been given.

I put these inspirations into action in my everyday life because as all these people have inspired me to serve, so do I hope to inspire others. I do everything I can to help anyone in need at anytime. By example, word, and deed, I hope to show others the love of God and my love for them so they can feel that love and spread it. I also serve through my church (where I spend more time then I do at home). I truly believe in the mission of my church and give my all to help see it fulfilled. While I may be idealistic, I truly believe that Heaven on Earth can be created, and I will give my all so that someday that belief will become a reality.Show/Hide Footer Actions

CHANGE THEIR WORLD. CHANGE YOURS. THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING.