Beauty from Chaos

My name is Brittney Diamond Dool. I make a point to mention my middle name because it is one of the things I like most about myself. I am a Nonprofit Marketing major at Baylor University and will graduate December 2016.

Since before I was born, my parents have been in the ministry. When I was nine, my parents became pastors of a Home Missions Church here in Waco. Home Missions means we started from “scratch”, just a family of four and a building. Because there was no one else, I took on a lot of responsibility. I was our first drummer, first praise singer, and became a Sunday school teacher at the age of twelve.

Today I turn twenty-two and I have already been a teacher for ten years. In February, I will meet the board to become a licensed minister. Every year, I coordinate dramas, multiple outreach events and various volunteer work among other churches and our community.

Most dear to my heart is music. I am a singer/songwriter. When I was younger, I won multiple competitions and currently travel to minister for churches and events around Texas.

Even when I didn’t realize it, music gave me strength and confidence. God uses music to speak to the very deepest corners of my soul. He told me when I feel hurt or alone to start singing praises and he would wash it all away.

I love to write poetry and my works have been published in seven books. In the good or the bad, it never fails; I seem to always be writing.

Photography is another passion of mine. The summer before starting Baylor, I received a scholarship for winning Reserve Grand Champion for one of my prints. That jumpstarted my curiosity of the world around me and beauty found in diverse places. Now, more than ever, I love to travel and explore new places. All in hope to capture the hidden truth beyond the surface.

Now, I return to why I mentioned my middle name. Diamond, it is unique, yet riddled with powerful symbolism. Baylor’s Athletic teams claim it best, “No Pressure, No Diamonds”. In every challenge I’ve faced, I remind myself of the journey from coal to diamond. My future is helping others achieve this journey.

Most people just need somebody to care, to show them there’s another way, and take time to see the real person behind the pain and hatred. I want to help them find that unique “diamond” inside themselves.

I don’t claim to have it figured out. I’ve just been through this “pressure” more than I care to admit. However, if my story can help ease your journey, than I don’t mind being a “Diamond in the Rough”