Pillar College Produces a Winning Woman & Transformational Leader
Sherrielynn Lilley is a winning woman! She has won and is winning on multiple levels in her life. She is a playwright, mentor, life coach, mother of five and an entrepreneur. She has defied all odds and has become a transformational leader. She is transforming lives and impacting the people she encounters, from the USA to Bermuda. Sherrie-Lynn did not allow her setbacks to set her down, but they became the momentum that made her win.
She was a teenager when she learnt she was gradually losing her sight. At age 14 she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal disease resulting in a progressive loss of vision. According to the Braille Institute, developing the disease depends on the presence of mutated genes in an individual’s DNA. Currently, there is no cure. Courageously, in January 2013, Ms. Lilley decided to go back to college to get her degree in psychology and counseling and at the same time obtain an Associate’s degree in Biblical Studies from Pillar College.
In May of 2016, she graduated at the top of my class, and received the Delta Epsilon Chi award for leadership and the Beverley Busch Book Award for writing and rhetoric. Currently, she is pursuing a Master’s of Mental Health in Counseling at Fordham University.
As an entrepreneur, she established the Heal Creative Solutions, a mental health coaching program, with the aim of ministering “total healing through the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Her many other achievements include: establishing programs and initiatives to minister to women living with trauma; launching several businesses and charities; speaking at several events involving women’s mental health; leading women’s wellness retreats; leading workshops and seminars in mental health in the US & Bermuda;
Moreover, in April, Ms. Lilley will be the keynote speaker and workshop leader at a seminar at the Bermudan Department of Public Prosecutions which will address mental health issues in the workforce. As a Bermudian herself, Ms. Lilley brings a unique perspective to the issue and will guide the department through discussions, exercises and psychoeducation activities designed to reconstruct old embedded mindsets. Expressing gratitude for her education at Pillar College, Ms. Lilley emphasized her hope that the College maintains its standard of education and keeps its unique focus on pedagogy and andragogy from a Christian worldview. She further stated, “I am extremely grateful to Pillar College. So much of how I am executing my life and ministry is based on the training acquired there. This is further highlighted by my choice to go to an elite secular university for my Master’s Degree. Studying at Fordham seems much easier than I expected because of the very sure foundation provided by Pillar College. So many of my courses at Pillar, in fact, seemed more challenging and difficult than similar courses taken at my current university.” As the world recognizes the contributions of women, Ms. Lilley is among the many who has earned the privilege of being recognized for not allowing her physical or other impediments to be the cause of passivity and failure. Despite setbacks she has encountered, she has persevered and is making a unique difference wherever she goes.
If you’d like to learn more about professions that enable you to serve wholeheartedly and faithfully in your life’s work or want to learn more about a biblically based, Christ-centered education at Pillar, we’d love to introduce you to Christian perspectives at work in your future career. For more information on how Pillar College can help you pursue your ministry and educational goals, please phone us at 973-803-5000 or email [email protected].
