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 Gordon (for son Chirstopher), Jeremiah, Daniel (for son Jordan), Michael, and Heather. 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.
Christopher Williams - Son of Gordon Williams - US Army
Gordon first enlisted in the service for two reasons: patriotism and the desire to learn a trade. However, the educational and professional opportunities available in the military convinced him to make the military a career. His enlisted duty stations included a tour with the 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Gordon, GA, and Ft. Rucker, AL. Upon completing flight school, he served seven years in Germany as an instructor pilot and maintenance officer and stateside assignments with at Ft. Carson, CO and Ft. Rucker, AL. He also served with the 18th Airborne Corps during Operation's Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He retired in 1996 and he and his family have remained in Orlando, Florida.
His son, Christopher, went to Dr. Phillips High School and was an avid member of the marching band. He was on the drum line all four years playing both bass and tenor. He was also a member of the National Honor Society and the German Club. When he’s not in school, you can find him either above water fishing or under water scuba diving. Christopher plans on attending the University of South Florida in Tampa to pursue a degree in Marine Biology.
Jeremiah Glassford - US Army
Jeremiah enlisted in the Army shortly after high school. He has completed three combat deployments in his ten year Army career. He served in Afghanistan in 2001, Iraq in 2005, and just finished another yearlong deployment to Iraq. In his essay, he discusses the difficulties of attending school while in the military, his educational and professional aspirations, and how his experience as a leader of soldiers deployed to combat zones has uniquely prepared him for life's challenges.
Jeremiah will graduate from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 2010. He hopes to attend the University of Alabama School of Law, where he will focus on employment and immigration law.
Jordan Baquilar - Son of Daniel Baquilar - SC Army National Guard
Daniel enlisted into the US Army in August of 1990 and served until December of 1993 with the 82nd Airborne Division in Ft. Bragg, NC. Upon an honorable discharge from active duty, Daniel continued his service with the SC Army National Guard where he continued to serve as a communications specialist. In February of 2003 Daniel was deployed to Iraq in support of ongoing operations where he served for over a year before coming back home to his civilian job as a police officer. Then, once again Daniel answered the call to duty in 2007 with another year long deployment to Afghanistan. Currently, Daniel is back working at his civilian job with his law enforcement agency and has over 19 years of service with the SC Army National Guard. Daniel shared his experiences being deployed after being inspired by his son's hard work both at school and home during his long absences away serving.
His son, Jordan, is graduating from York Comprehensive High School in York, South Carolina in June of 2010 and has a great interest in achieving a degree in graphic arts. Jordan is a very accomplished artist and looks to put his skills to work in a field that he loves. Jordan will be graduating in the top 20% of his class and has participated in art clubs and community service activities locally. Jordan has applications with Winthrop University and Coastal Carolina and will be attending one of those schools in the fall.
Michael Kuy - US Marine Corps
Sergeant Kuy attended college one year before enlisting in the Marine Corps. He went to boot camp in San Diego and deployed to Iraq with Combat Logistics Battalion, Security Company. Upon returning from Iraq Sergeant Kuy joined Marine Corps Embassy Security Group where he is currently serving.
His growth while in a combat zone and serving abroad along with experiences with different cultures inspired the bulk of his essay. He plans to use his scholarship upon his EAS to pursue a bachelors degree in business and later an MBA.
Heather Cusson - OEF Army Veteran
Heather joined the United States Army right after high school. She served as a health care specialist while assigned to 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Light Infantry Division out of Fort Drum, New York. While enlisted she completed a 16 month deployment in Afghanistan. During the deployment she was assigned to be a member of her brigade commander's personal security team. She received a great amount of medical experience and life long leadership skills that she hopes to share with future generations. After serving her country, Heather decided to take the time needed to go to school in hope of achieving her goal of becoming a nurse practitioner.
Heather has completed the prerequisites for the nursing programs and will be graduating from Monterey Peninsula College in May of 2010. She will then transfer to California State University Monterey Bay to major in Health Care Services, while she is on the waiting list for the nursing program. This scholarship will make a great difference in Heather's ability to reach her goals of higher education.
Past Winners
You may also be interested in checking out the winners from our 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 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. 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
