OneAmerica® announces Life Lessons Scholarship recipient in Texas

OneAmerica^® announced today that college student Christaleigh Hope Stephens of Fredericksburg, Texas has been selected as a Life Lessons Scholarship Winner. 

The college student was only 4 years old when she and six siblings lost their father. Throughout Christaleigh’s young life, she has worked multiple jobs to help support herself and her family to make ends meet, while pursuing a communications design major that will allow her to support her endeavors.

The OneAmerica Life Lessons Scholarship is provided in coordination with Arlington, Virginia-based Life Happens, a nonprofit dedicated to providing financial support to current and aspiring college students aged 17 to 24 who have lost a parent.  The annual program, in its 13th year, aims to highlight the need for families to include life insurance in financial plans.  

Christaleigh, 18, a freshman at Texas State University who is considering pursuing a career in graphic design, lost her father at age 4, and the loss of income devastated her family financially and emotionally.

She was the only sibling to finish high school, and an unstable home situation forced her to relocate at age 14 to move in with friends. She found refuge in academics while working multiple part-time jobs throughout her teenage years to make ends meet, never giving up.

“I have come to realize the priceless advantage of a good education and believe that this is the only way I am going to be able to break the bonds of my past,” Christaleigh said. “Hope is my middle name. I don't believe it is purely incidental that my parents gave me this name, nor do I believe it is purely incidental that I am referred to as “Hope” even though my first name is Christaleigh. I have needed hope in my life because of the obstacles I have had to face; I found hope and hope is what defines me.”

Josh Hauser, OneAmerica vice president and chief agency officer, and Joseph Kane, Founder of Personal Economics Group*, will present a scholarship check of $5,000 to Christaleigh during a OneAmerica business conference.

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About OneAmerica^®

A national leader in the insurance and financial services marketplace for 140 years, the companies of OneAmerica help customers build and protect their financial futures.

OneAmerica offers a variety of products and services to serve the financial needs of their policyholders and customers. These products include retirement plan products and recordkeeping services, individual life insurance, annuities, asset based long-term care solutions and employee benefit plan products.

Products are issued and underwritten by the companies of OneAmerica and distributed through a nationwide network of employees, agents, brokers and other sources that are committed to providing value to our customers. 

To learn more about our products, services and the companies of OneAmerica, visit oneamerica.com/companies. 

^*Registered Representative of and securities offered through OneAmerica Securities, Inc., Member FINRA, SIPC, a Registered Investment Advisor, 12700 Park Central Drive, Suite 1050, Dallas, TX 75251, 972-503-2734. Insurance Representative of American United Life Insurance Company® (AUL) and other insurance companies. Personal Economics Group is not an affiliate of OneAmerica Securities or AUL and is not a broker dealer or Registered Investment Advisor.