A standout moment at StoneBridge School’s 40th Anniversary Gala, May 15, occurred when alumna Kara McCormick Bonvillian, Class of 2007, shared how her StoneBridge education and experience prepared her for the greatest storm of her life when she was diagnosed with cancer at age 20.
“The years I spent at StoneBridge-6 years old to 18 years old-they were defining years. I didn’t graduate with just a Principle Approach education, but a principle approach to life. StoneBridge laid the biblical foundation that I will rely on for the rest of my years because there will be more storms. There will be more mountains to climb. But the point of my life isn’t to feel comfortable or accomplish my dreams, but to surrender to His will,” she stated.
That cancer diagnosis at only 20 years of age changed everything for Bonvillian. She was sophomore at Hillsdale College in Michigan who played basketball on the team when life as she knew it stopped completely.
After treatment, Kara finished her degree, earned a master’s at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and worked as a surgical assistant. But her desire to give back led her to Roc Solid, a charity organization that offers hope to families fighting pediatric cancer.
“Working with Roc Solid is my opportunity to not ‘waste’ my cancer,” she says. “There’s nothing I could be more passionate about.”
Listen to Bonvillian share her story and how StoneBridge prepared her for this unexpected journey.
Watch the full SBS 40th Anniversary and Building the Future Gala with Speaker Pam Tebow:
