CBE International is proud to support the education and ministry of Christy Chia, Fatu Kanu, and Jessica Prieto, recipients of the 2020 Alvera Mickelsen Memorial Scholarship!
Christy Chia
is a second-year master of divinity student at Fuller Theological Seminary. As a butcher turned seminarian, Christy has seen the many ways God challenges gender expectations through her. She has served with Fullness in Christ Fellowship and Women of Wonder, Inc. (WOW!), two organizations that, like CBE, are committed to empowering women and pursuing gender equality in the church.
Christy is currently serving with Fuller’s Asian American Center and Fuller Student Council. Although her future ministry plans are unknown, she is passionate about creating safe spaces for building community and empowering women and people of color in the church.
The AMMS award will help Christy attain the degree essential to providing the credibility to back her gifts, talents, and calling to ministry. More than financial support, the AMMS award gives Christy a boost of confidence knowing that despite whatever discouragement comes, she has many brothers and sisters in Christ affirming her in her calling.
Fatu Kanu
is a recent graduate from Gordon College aspiring to promote biblical human flourishing through economic development ministries for marginalized young women. This past April, she received seed money to start a cosmetology training institute for the empowerment of young street girls in Sierra Leone, her home country. In 2007, she and her family moved to the states from Sierra Leone for better opportunities and education. Unfortunately, there are still hundreds of girls like her back in Sierra Leone and around the world who do not have the chance/access to a life of basic human flourishing. For this reason and others, she plans to further her education at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary to be better equipped to serve girls and women around the world, beginning in Sierra Leone.
Starting fall of 2020, Fatu will be a first-year student pursuing a dual master’s degree in intercultural studies and global leadership. Receiving the Alvera Mickelsen Memorial Scholarship will significantly help her answer this calling on her life. As a self-supporting independent student, she depends heavily on financial aid and her part-time job to support herself year-round. With the AMMS, she can focus more on her studies, which in turn will help her thrive academically and in ministry without the burden and stress of student loans.
Jessica Prieto
is a second-year student graduating in Spring 2021 with an MA in preaching and pastoral ministry at Talbot School of Theology.
From the moment she became a Christian till now she has been surrounded by godly powerful women leaders in ministry that have encouraged her along the way. It wasn’t until she began her biblical academic studies that she felt that that may have not been what God has called her to do because she is a woman. But after many tears, prayer, and studying, she feels confident in God’s call in her life to be a woman leader in ministry. Now, she is honored to say that she will be the first woman to graduate in her program. Eventually, she hopes to pursue a doctorate degree in biblical studies.
Receiving this scholarship is an incredible honor and relieves a financial burden as she finishes off the last year of her master’s program.
