A profound journey of faith and resilience began for me when I was a child — a little girl fighting for her rights as a human being and fighting for education. In 2015, I immigrated from Angola to the U.S. at 35 years old as a single mom with my three beautiful children. My spirit and soul were broken from the inside out. I had no English background, and I had to start from scratch. I was escaping from a domestic violence family and relationship and from political persecution in a culture against women and children, where women’s and children’s lives don’t matter.
Even in the deepest valleys of uncertainty in my life, and despite the unclear path, having faith in God gave me hope and strength that one day I would be standing here with my three children in this beautiful country, the United States of America, and also pursuing a higher calling at Saint Meinrad. I just trusted God.
I truly believe that even from the deepest valleys in our lives and in the face of immense adversity, God remains our ultimate hope, providing strength, guidance, and a pathway to new beginnings. God is my hope!
Selma Domingos, Graduate Theology Student