Meet Starr D'Auria, Ignite Christian Academy's student of the month. She's a soon-to-be senior with an inspiring passion for serving Christ and sharing His Word.
My ICA Story
I learned about Ignite Christian Academy through my church's school. I wanted to enroll because ICA is a school with excellent Christian academics. It is very important to me that I learn from a Christian worldview, because I know that I am learning God's truth.
My favorite part of distance learning is the flexibility. When a schedule is very flexible it forces me to learn time management and excellent study skills. This type of learning prepares me for my life as a college student and, more importantly, for a life devoted to spreading God's saving grace to the world through my future profession.
I have also discovered that the teachers really care about the Christian lives of their students. I did not expect to find that from a distance learning school. Many times as I have reached out to a teacher, he or she has pointed me back to Christ and reminded me to trust Him because He knows what is going on.
If I am being honest, I love learning, and I enjoy every course I have taken through Ignite Christian Academy. If I have to pick a favorite subject, it would most likely be math or science. The reason I like math is because there is never a rule that has an exception, like in English. I enjoy being able to figure out challenging math problems, especially in Pre-Calculus. Science is one of my favorite subjects because I enjoy learning about God's creation and His magnificent design for our universe.
Activities
This year I was inducted into ICA's chapter of the National Honor Society. I have recently been elected to serve as vice president for the upcoming year, and I am very excited to be working with many accomplished students throughout the world. I look forward to getting to know the other ICA students in this group, encouraging them in their faith, and using the next year to make a difference in our world.
In addition, I currently sing every Sunday on the praise team at my First Baptist Church of Thousand Oaks, and I am always available and willing to help with any event or need in my church. I will be leading the music at our upcoming vacation Bible school for our community this summer, and am very excited about reaching our community for Jesus Christ.
I am also in the process of organizing a Disciple Makers Multiplied (DM2) youth conference for the teens in my area. This conference will not only teach the first eight chapters of Romans to youth, but it will also give the youth the tools to teach what they have learned to others. That is why it is called Disciple Makers Multiplied.
On January 1, 2015, I flew to Harlingen, Texas and attended a DM2 conference for college students. At that conference, we did a four-day study of the book of Galatians. Although I already had a relationship with Christ, I left with a hope in Christ that I could not explain and a passion to share His Word with anyone who would listen. I finally understood what it meant to be under God's grace and not under the law of the Old Testament. When I understood grace completely, it changed my life, and I wanted everyone to have the opportunity to have the experience that I had.
My responsibilities for organizing the summer DM2 Bible conference for teens in my area include making an event schedule, finding college-age teachers for the event, inviting teens from local schools and churches to attend, finding members within my church to host people and meals for the event, dividing and distributing the sections of teaching material to the teachers, and, most importantly, praying for the teens that are coming to hear God's Word.
Hobbies
I love to sing, write music, play the drums, dance, play competitive sports, be silly, make people laugh, meet new people, and spend time with my friends. If I could have any job in the world, I would choose to write music for Christian artists. Writing music is the main way I share my feelings and communicate my experiences without actually telling someone. Music shares stories in a unique way that you cannot explain. The only way a person can truly know me is if they hear my music.
In addition, I love to babysit children. I volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club to meet new people and share what God has done in my life. I am also involved with the youth group at my church, which meets weekly. We get together to learn from the Bible and to grow as a group by encouraging one another to live for God. In the summer, we serve in the community by helping at different missions, taking supply bags to the homeless, and working at food banks.
Future Plans and Dreams
After I graduate, I would like to attend Letourneau University to major in mechanical engineering. When I graduate college, I would like to build robots designed to help people.
My advice to my classmates is to seek God in everything that you do, trust Him, and do your best for Him. God can and will use you if you are willing.