Elizabeth Gajewski Receives Propeller Club Sponsorship
Elizabeth Gajewski, a senior at the University of North Florida (UNF), received the Propeller Club of Jacksonville Scholarship in Transportation and Logistics at the UNF Coggin College Scholarship Luncheon on March 29, 2019. This year's scholarship recipient has an inspiring story of perseverance. Elizabeth Gajewski grew up in China, and when she was nine years old, after some unfortunate circumstances, went to live in an orphanage. In May 2010, an American family traveled to China to adopt her and brought her to the United States. She was 13 years old at the time. Of the experience, she says:
"When I first came to the US, I had many extremely challenging obstacles to face. I still remember how hard it was learning to communicate in an unfamiliar language, in an entirely different culture and school; I will never forget about it. Sometimes I just felt hopeless, like I was never going to be able to speak and communicate with people fluently."
Although those challenges were difficult, Elizabeth always believed that with hard work and putting in the effort, she could overcome the struggles she faced. Elizabeth says that receiving this scholarship helped validate that all of the hard work was worth it.Elizabeth will soon be graduating UNF with a bachelor’s degree in International Business and Transportation & Logistics. As to why she decided to major in logistics, Elizabeth says: "I have always been fascinated with how logistics works. As the heart of business, it is very interesting to see how commodities from China get shipped to Florida, and then distributed all over the states and how it keeps other business running."Looking to the future, Elizabeth says:
"When I look at all the opportunities that are ahead of me, I feel very blessed and can’t thank enough for all those who helped me, your financial support has allowed me to focus more on the most important aspect of school, learning. It wouldn’t be possible without you. Your generosity is changing many lives and it has inspired me to help others and give back to the community. I hope one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me."
Featured image, Propeller Club of Jacksonville Board Member Linda Carrion and scholarship recipient Elizabeth Gajewski