Name: Mariana Citlali Lopez Perez
Age: 20
Place of origin: Mexico City, Mexico

Not all people show such a warm and candid smile as Mariana does when she talks to you. This is my first interviewee for the blog and I am very excited because she agreed to be part of it. I was really curious about Mariana's story on how she figured out what her mission statement it.
Mariana is a freshman year student at Harding University. She is a Graphic Design major who goes to Harding because she got a full scholarship from the Walton International Program. This organization provides full education, housing, transportation, books and food each year to several students from Central America and Mexico.
"I knew about the program because my mom met a couple of girls who go to the University of the Ozarks thanks to it," says Mariana.
Mariana's mom told her to apply for a scholarship because they did not have enough money to pay for her full college education. Since she did not get the Walton Scholarship the first time she applied, she decided to apply for one at UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico) and studied there for one year.
Mariana says she noticed a lack of moral values at this university, values that are very important for her. That is why she decided to apply again for the Walton Scholarship.
"I put all my heart on the application process this time," says Mariana. "After waiting for 3 months for an answer, I got a phone call telling me the day of my interview, which was on a Wednesday, I still remember..."
"As soon as I got out of the interview and got back to my house again, I got another phone call but this time was from one of the people who interviewed me. He was saying that I won the scholarship."
"I wanted this so much that second time that I applied, that it was really exciting for me to know that I finally got it." "I was really been called to have higher aspirations for my life."
"Then I realized that what really moved me to apply was my desire of helping others, especially children." "I worked at an orphanage and I got in loved with the kids over there."
That is why I would like to work on a magazine or any other kind of media in which I can create advertisement for non-profit organizations that help children." "I think we are still able to change the lifes of those kids if we want to. I want to transmit my values to children in general."
"I would also like to illustrate books for children, I want to transmit values with my hart."

What exactly is a mission statement?

According to Wikipedia, a mission statement is "a formal short written statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a sense of direction, and guide decision-making. It provides the framework or context within which the company's strategies are formulated."

What does this has to do with a person's personal experiences?

Whenever a person realizes that God's actions to aid him have a specific purpose, the person gets a feeling on what is that "mission" God has assigned to him. It is usually when a big blessing touches the individual, like escaping from death or getting a huge opportunity.
I will post the story of people from different parts of the world, who believe they know what is that mission assigned to them. I hope these posts serve as an inspiration to many, to find out what their purpose in life is and what is that conviction that will guide their actions.