Military Education Scholarship Winners
VA Mortgage Center.com is proud to announce the five winners of our fifth semi-annual Military Education Scholarship Program. The five individuals we have selected all displayed remarkable strengths in numerous areas and wrote impressive essays about how their military experiences will prepare them for their careers. Congratulations to Joel (for daughter Danielle), Cameron, Ryan, Michelle, and Daniel. We thank you for serving our country proudly, and we hope that you are successful in your educational endeavors.
The Military Education Scholarship Program was put on and funded solely by the joint efforts of the employees of VA Mortgage Center.com. We support all of the servicemen and women that give so much for our country, and we enjoy working with you every day. Thank you.
Winner Profiles
Check out our winners below. Each person has a unique story to tell. Read about their military experiences and how they plan to use the award money.
Joel Jacobs (For his daughter Danielle) - US Army
SFC Jacobs enlisted in the Army in 1985 as an Engineer. His overseas assignments include Korea and two tours in Germany and Egypt. Stateside assignments were Ft. Drum NY, Ft. Belvoir VA, Ft Carson CO, and Ft. Stewart Ga. Combat tours were Somalia, Haiti, three tours in Bosnia Herzegovina, one tour in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq. When he first enlisted his he would have never thought that he would spend the next twenty two years as a Soldier but his love for his country and the pride of being a Soldier ended up being the path he would stay upon. During his time as a soldier he met the love of his life and started his family. SFC Jacobs is very proud of his service and is grateful for the opportunities his service has provided for him as his family.
SFC Jacobs' oldest child Danielle has blossomed into a brilliant young lady with a great future ahead of her. She has been accepted into the University of Georgia and plans to pursue a major of Political Science and International Affairs. Danielle has many goals for the future; she would like to one day have a career in the field of International Diplomacy. She has said that she is interested in doing this because she would like to play a larger role in how her country functions and how it cooperates with other governments. Her father is extremely proud of the determination she has shown in trying to achieve this goal, and expects great things to come for her. They are very thankful for this scholarship because it is helping to bring her closer to her goals.
Cameron Waites - US Army
Experience pays dividends. Cameron's decision to serve his country in the U.S. Army was an essential and life changing one. To be sure, his experiences in the military have set him on a path for success by instilling in him a strong work ethic and determination to achieve his goals. Born and raised in Michigan, Cameron left active duty in August 2008 after serving as a medic in Iraq and Washington State since 2004. Importantly, it was during his time in the army and subsequent time in Iraq that he discovered his calling to become an M.D., Ph.D. and advance our understanding of science and medicine.
Presently, Cameron is an Honors Program student majoring in Health Sciences at the University of Michigan-Flint. In addition, Cameron is a National Institutes of Health UGSP Scholar, Tillman Military Scholar, Amgen Scholar, American Democracy Project Scholar, Michigan Service Scholar, and James Agnell Scholar. Military service has helped Cameron grow into a successful student devoted to learning, leadership, and volunteer service. In the future, Cameron hopes to attain an M.D., Ph.D. and continue serving others through innovation and discovery as a physician scientist.
Ryan Rumminger - US Army
Ryan entered the military shortly after experiencing the loss of one of his best friends. He entered hoping to find a way to turn his personal adversities into something greater - and the US Army gave him just that. He enlisted at age 19, to become a 92G (a Food Service Specialist). He went to boot camp at Fort Jackson SC, AIT at Fort Lee VA, and was stationed at Fort Drum NY. He later deployed with 10th mountain division in January of 2009 for a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan. He has been awarded a Combat Action Badge for coming in contact with the enemy while he was overseas.
Upon his return from Afghanistan Specialist Rumminger continues to serve his country at Fort Drum attached to E-co 1-32 light infantry division. He also enrolled at Empire State College and is majoring in Global studies where he expects to graduate with his degree in August of 2011. He plans to get his B.A and then Master's degree in the same area and to one day work for the United Nations working for global peace, security, and human rights.
Michelle Ferrer - Army National Guard
Michelle enlisted in the Army National Guard as a junior in high school. She served in Iraq in 2004-2005, and has been in for 10 years. In her essay, she discusses the skills for success the military has instilled in her, how her service motivated her to attain a post graduate degree in order to serve fellow Veterans, and the difficulties of fulfilling her roles as a service member, a student, and a parent.
Michelle received her BA in psychology from Washburn University in May 2009, and will begin work on her MA in psychology at Washburn University in August 2010.
Daniel Whittaker - US Marine Corps
Daniel's first experience with the military occurred when he took part in the Devil Pups program, a demanding physical and academic program for underprivileged teenagers run by the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, he was 14 years old at the time. Both his grandfather and father had served in the military, and throughout High School Daniel possessed a strong desire to be of service to his country. Shortly after graduation Daniel joined the Marine Corps, where he was to become responsible for leading security teams conducting sensitive operations throughout the Pacific. While serving in this capacity, he was recognized numerous times for exceptional performance of his duties, including being awarded the Naval Achievement Medal. Daniel went on to serve with Weapon's Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division.
Daniel is currently working toward the completion of a Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise Science and Bioscience at California State University, Los Angeles, where he is in the top 5% of his class, has been on the Dean's List every quarter, has maintained a 4.0 GPA in his degree program, and is a Certificate of Honor recipient from his College. Daniel plans to go on to pursue a PhD in Integrated Physiology in order to study issues of improving the quality of life, performance, fitness, and health of non-athletes as well as athletes, including doing research investigating factors normally associated with aging and the deterioration of bodily function. He is currently involved in critical cancer research at the University of Southern California in the Biology of Aging research lab. His long-term aspiration is to work in academia, research, and public policy, where he hopes to play a roll in shaping public health policy and bringing the most modern science to the public in a useful and applicable manner.
Past Winners
You may also be interested in checking out the winners from our November 2009 contest, May 2009 contest, November 2008, May 2008 contest and the November 2007 contest, as well as the winners from our first contest, held in May 2007.
More About VA Mortgage Center.com
VA Mortgage Center.com is a leading provider of VA Loans and other VA lending products in association with the VA Home Loan Program. Each year, our VA Specialists work with thousands of new and existing VA Benefit-eligible homeowners to secure the home loan solutions that are right for them.
As mentioned, our Scholarship Program is 100% funded by the employees of our company. We hope our Scholarship Program helps make a difference in the lives of our customers and the service member community through the pursuit of higher education.
Brought to you by the employees of VA MortgageCenter.com
