who moderated the question and answer sessions

The prayer was a "very specific" devotion, Hamilton remembered, in which she asked God to use her for more than just surfing, a passion she had pursued since she was a small child and one for which she was already gaining renown at age 13.

Hamilton lost her left arm in October 2003 -- just two weeks after she said that prayer -- when she was bitten by a tiger shark while surfing in Hawaii.

"And I'm like 'OK, God, what are you up to? This isn't quite what I had in mind,' " Hamilton told a group of students Monday at New Smyrna Beach High School.

Since the attack Hamilton has served as a source of inspiration while speaking across the country to groups just like the one in New Smyrna Beach. She also didn't allow the loss of one of her limbs to stop her dream of becoming a pro surfer, which she accomplished at age 18.

"A lot of people would just give up; she didn't and I think that's really cool," said Tony Spears,17, a junior at New Smyrna Beach High who is also a surfer. "That takes a lot of heart and a lot of courage."

Hamilton's appearance at the high school kicked off Beach Weeks, a six-week series of beach-and fitness-themed special events that begins Thursday and runs through July 4. Hamilton participated in question and answer sessions twice Monday. The first session was only for students and staff while the evening session was open to the public.

After Hamilton spoke, both crowds took in screenings of the 2011 movie "Soul Surfer" based on her autobiography released seven years earlier. The movie stars AnnaSophia Robb, who played Hamilton, and Carrie Underwood.

Hamilton ,23, said she wouldn't change anything about her life has turned out.

"I look back on it now and am like just in awe of how (God) can turn something so horrific into something so absolutely beautiful," she said.

Despite losing her arm, Hamilton was no doubt also fortunate. According to an Associated Press report shortly after the attack, the shark took a chunk out of Hamilton's surfboard that measured about 16 inches across and 8 inches deep. Hamilton said she gave the board to the California Surf Museum where it's still on display.

After several surgeries, Hamilton was back in the water a month or so after the attack.

"It was like I had two arms," she said. "I was on a long board but I just had that sensation again of, like, riding waves again and that was like, 'Ok, I'll be surfing for a while.' "

Hamilton returned to competition in January 2004 and turned pro in 2007. Among her career highlights was finishing second in the Association of Surfing Professionals 2009 World Junior Championships.

In addition to a host of public speaking engagements throughout the U.S., Hamilton has also made a number of television appearances, including The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Ehren Tresher, who moderated the question and answer sessions, asked whether Hamilton planned to try out the waves in New Smyrna, which has gained a dubious distinction in some circles as the shark bite capital of the world.

"I didn't bring my board and I'm flying home tomorrow, so probably not," she said, but added that she did get to take in some waves in Jacksonville.

And despite being a victim of an attack, Hamilton said she ardently supports shark conservation efforts.

Lily Whatley, 15, a freshman at New Smyrna Beach High who is also a surfer, said Hamilton is a "big inspiration," mainly for her show of faith. Like Hamilton, Whatley said she is a Christian.

High school administrators, along with New Smyrna Beach Mayor Adam Barringer, and officials with the Southeast Volusia Advertising Authority presented Hamilton with a donation to her charitable organization, Friends of Bethany Hamilton, which supports shark attack survivors and other amputees.

While there was some initial doubt that Hamilton would be able to continue to surf after her injury, she said she always maintained a positive attitude.

"Surfing was more than just a sport," she said. "It was something like I spent my whole life doing and all my friends surfed and it was just what we did; It would be weird not to have that life."

Ricky Tauscher,17, a New Smyrna Beach High junior who said he has surfed since about the age of 7, was impressed after listening to Hamilton's story.

"It's cool that she could back from an injury like that and do what she does," he said. "It's an astonishing story to hear."