Israel Munóz Salvador
Scholarships propel law school goal
Karin Hensley |
Lipscomb University sophomore Israel Munóz Salvador was five years old when he and his mother left their native Mexico for a new home in the United States. Israel’s father had been working in the Nashville area, and it was time to reunite the family.
He grew to consider Nashville his hometown and the U.S. as his country – so much so that after he turned 18, he became a U.S. citizen.
“I’ve really appreciated what the U.S. has done for me and so I thought that one of the things I could do for the U.S. was becoming a citizen and that really was an accomplishment for me,” Israel said.
At the same time, he was thinking about where to go to college. Having grown up in a Christian home, attending a Christian college was his goal and Lipscomb University soon arrived at the top of his list.
“I searched for Christian universities [online] and then I looked at the universities that were close to home. I came to visit Lipscomb and I really felt that sense of community here, and so that’s what made me choose Lipscomb,” he said.
Choosing and enrolling can be different challenges, and working through the application process as the first member of his family to go to college was one hurdle to overcome. The next big challenge was financial.
“I love Lipscomb but it can be a little expensive,” Israel said, smiling. “Lipscomb gave me the Durwood Conner and the Golden Circle scholarships, which really did benefit my family because without those scholarships, it would be impossible for me to be sitting in classes and doing the stuff I love.”
Israel says Lipscomb has been what he hoped it would be in his search for a Christian university, but that he has found it to be even more.
“My grandparents are pastors in Mexico, of several churches down there, and so the Christian faith for me has been absolutely important and integral for my life. So when it came time to choose a college, I absolutely knew I wanted a Christian education and that’s absolutely what I found here at Lipscomb.
“But it’s not just that. It’s really like home because there’s a great sense of community here at Lipscomb and, you know, we are a school that seeks God as well as academic achievement,” Israel said.
A political science-international relations major, Israel says his goal is to attend law school after he graduates Lipscomb, then go into corporate law or constitutional law. In the meantime, he has a special message for those who are making his education possible.
“If I met the people who set up the Durwood Conner Scholarship and the Golden Circle Scholarship, I would definitely just say thank you. You are the reason why I am here at Lipscomb today and you are the reason I still want to pursue law in my future,” he said.