Military Education Scholarship Winners
VA Mortgage Center.com is proud to announce the 5 winners of our 2nd semi-annual Military Education Scholarship Program. The 5 individuals we have selected all displayed remarkable strengths in numerous areas and wrote impressive essays about how their military experience will prepare them for their career to earn the award. Congratulations to Alaina Clay, Brooks Demmer, Michelle & Stephen Sawyer, Jeffrey Murrill and Kayla & Jeffrey Welch! 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 everyday. Thank you.
Winner Profiles
Alaina Clay - Navy ROTC
In her essay, Alaina described what qualities and skills she plans to take away from her future military experience. Alaina describes one aspect as "In being a part of the rigid command structure of the armed forces, a great deal of knowledge will be gathered in not only leading a division of subordinates, but also in following those above me." She looks forward to leading sailors and being a part of the best navy in the world.
Alaina is currently a senior in Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is a first-class midshipman in the NROTC program at the Institute and upon graduation will commission into the United States Navy as an ensign. Alaina aspires to become a nuclear surface warfare officer in the Navy where she can best utilize what she has learned during her four years of education in the mechanical engineering discipline.
Brooks Demmer - U.S. Army ROTC
Brooks is a student at the University of Minnesota pursuing a Psychology degree. He says his ROTC training in such a short time span during so many big changes helps to keep everything in perspective. For the future, he plans to commission into the Army as a 2nd Lieutenant working either in Military Intelligence or in the Military Police. He also wants to continue his education to pursue a Master's in Psychology or to attend law school.
Brooks says, "The Army is a vessel that can take those that are motivated to wherever they want to go. I originally joined because the Army values lined up with my own. Although this is still the reason I do it, the experience and comradery are two things I didn't expect to value as much as I do now. The encouragement by family and friends has been overwhelming."
Michelle Sawyer - Daughter of Stephen Sawyer - U.S. Army
Stephen wrote an essay to win a scholarship for his daughter Michelle. She is currently enrolled at College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, MN. She is studying nursing and hopes to work at a hospital around the Twin Cities area. She is also considering working as a nurse in the Military.
"I am very thankful for this scholarship and I can't wait to continue my education!"
Jeffrey Murrill - U.S. Marines
SSgt Murrill has been assigned to bases in Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Iraq. He is married and has three small children. He is looking to be the first from his family to graduate from college.
With hard work and determination, SSgt Murrill is overcoming the financial challenge of higher education by working with mentally disabled adults on the weekends. SSgt Murrill began his education at the University of Maryland. He is currently attending Pepperdine University where he is majoring in a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. His expected graduation is in April of 2009.
Kayla Welch - Daughter of Jeffrey Welch - U.S. Marines
Kayla Welch is a high school senior. When she graduates, she plans on attending Kansas Wesleyan to earn a degree in BSN for nursing. She is currently working on getting her CNA and CMA license at Votech and taking an English class at the college while still attending high school. She was recently hired as an NA at a nursing home and loves it. She has chosen the medical field so that she can help others and give back to the community.
Currently GySgt Welch pursuing an information technology degree in CISCO systems and network management. His military career is coming to a close as he is approaching retirement, but he maintains his goal of finishing his undergrad degree and continuing on to his graduate degree. He instills the importance of education to his children and is assisting them in their educational pursuits.
Past Winners
You may also be interested in checking out our winners from our first contest, held in May 2007.
More About VAMortgageCenter.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. Our VA Specialists work with thousands of new and existing home owners who are VA Eligible to secure the best home loan solutions for them each year.
As mentioned, our Scholarship Program is 100% funded by the employees of our company. Just as we work with active-duty military and veteran individuals and their families every day, we hope through awarding the scholarships that we may help make a difference in the pursuit of higher education for our customers and the servicemember community.
Brought to you by the employees of VAMortgageCenter.com
