Scholarship winner Steven Brooke
Providing clean water to those in need is so important to Texas A&M University student Steven Brooke that he pursued an opportunity to serve, even though he was hospitalized at the time.
That opportunity was provided by SSC Services for Education, the university’s facilities services provider and a division of Compass Group, Weathermatic, the university’s irrigation system provider, and Living Water International, a Christian non-profit organization.
The scholarship they provided will allow Brooke to travel to León, Nicaragua to participate in a project to bring fresh water to a nearby village.
Brooke, a senior international studies major from Austin had nearly completed his application, due April 30, but on April 28 he was in a car accident, suffering serious injuries and landing in the intensive care unit.
“I fractured both my skull and jaw, and as a result of the trauma, had to undergo surgery to relieve an epidural and subdural hematoma,” he explains.
But in spite of his injuries and the fact he’d missed the deadline, Brooke was determined to fulfill his goal.
“While I was still in the ICU, I remembered that I had missed the deadline and my family members encouraged me to write an email explaining my situation. Fortunately, I was given an extension given my circumstances, and was able to put the finishing touches on my application.”
Brooke spent two weeks in the hospital and rehabilitation, and recovered at home for the rest of the summer. “I am happy to say that I am in very good health and feel grateful for all of the progress I have made over the past few months,” he notes.