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. Brandon Hahn, Leslee Moon, Christine and Jim Cookingham (for their daughter Tatiana), Kevin Sudbeck (for his son Charles), and Brian Frampton. 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.
Brandon Hahn - US Marine Corps
Brandon enlisted on August 29, 2001 and started recruit training on July 6, 2002. Afterwards, he spent a year in Pensacola, FL, learning advanced electronics and avionics. He spent his enlistment stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA, as an Air Traffic Control radar technician. He deployed three times to Al Anbar province in Iraq, and was awarded several campaign and personal medals during that time. He successfully completed his 5 year enlistment on July 7, 2007. The deployments in Iraq were eye openers about the role we all play in the world. Every veteran gains something from their experiences overseas.
Brandon intends to complete his first two years at Madison College, and then transfer to UW Madison College of Engineering to pursue his B.S. in electrical engineering. He would like to obtain his M.S. as well, so that he may be better equipped to solve complex real world problems encountered by today's fighting forces.
Leslee Moon - US Army Reserves
I entered active duty military service in August 2002 shortly after graduation from South Eugene High School. I became a Military Police Officer in order to serve and protect on both foreign and domestic soil. In April of 2003 my unit deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I learned much about myself and working with others while overseas, and continue to utilize those skills today.
After six challenging and adventurous years in the Regular Army, I decided to trade in my combat boots for a backpack. I am currently in my final year as a Parks, Recreation and Tourism undergraduate. In August 2011 I plan to begin a Masters program in Health Education and Promotion. This scholarship will enable me to continue reaching my educational goals and give back to the community that I love.
Tatiana Cookingham - Daughter of US Army Retiree
Christine entered the Air Force in 1985 and served at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX as a medical technician and transitioned to the Vermont Air National Guard, Burlington, Vermont in 1991. While serving in the Services Flight for the 158th Fighter Wing, she has had numerous stateside training deployments and had operational deployments to England and Mali in support of US Air Force missions. She retired as a Senior Master Sergeant in 2007. Jim entered West Point in 1989, was commissioned into Aviation Branch in 1993 has been stationed at Fort Rucker, AL, Fort Carson, CO, Camp Humphreys, Korea and Fort Hood, TX. He left the Army in 2000 and re-entered the Army Reserves in 2010 for a position at Redstone Arsenal, AL. They both attribute their military service to shaping critical elements of who they are and making them better citizens and members of their community and organizations.
Tatiana, Christine's oldest child, has been accepted into the University of Alabama and plans to pursue a major in Psychology. She is especially interested in focusing her studies on methods of improving the lives of troubled children. Through various volunteer and outreach opportunities she has experienced the good that can be done by extending a caring hand to those in need and has decided to pursue an educational and career path focused on helping others. Tatiana eventually hopes to continue her education to the Masters or PhD level in pursuit of this goal.
Kevin Sudbeck - US Navy
CDR Sudbeck graduated from Oregon State University with a Chemistry degree and was commissioned in the US Navy in 1986. He also earned a Masters of Business Administration from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). CDR Sudbeck is a Naval Aviator and has over 3500 flight hours and 500 arrested carrier landings. He has had three combat tours to include Operation Earnest Will, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. During his tours, he was able to utilize his graduate degree and the vast resources of the NPS to resolve complex issues relating to his combat assignment in Iraq and Afghanistan. CDR Sudbeck is currently assigned as the Deputy Dean of Students, Naval Postgraduate School.
CDR Sudbeck's younger son, Charles "Chip" Sudbeck, has matured into an intelligent and articulate young man, with a great future ahead of him as a future military officer. He has demonstrated great intellect with his academics and superior athletic prowess in football as the starting right tackle and as a Hammer thrower for the track and field team. Chip placed 10th in the Washington State Hammer meet as a Junior. During his Senior year, Chip is taking AP Physics and Calculus and aspires to become a mechanical or computer engineer. He plans to attend Oregon State University and become the family's first fourth generation Beaver.
Brian Frampton - US Navy
Brian enlisted in the Navy in 1996 at the age of 18 with plans to make the Navy his lifelong career. Brian was promptly shipped overseas and stationed in Japan for four and a half years. He was later deployed to the Persian Gulf 3 times. While stationed in Japan, Brian met his wife and started the family that he'd always wanted to have.
Brian is currently completing the last pre-requisites to starting nursing school and has recently received official notification that he has been accepted to start the nursing curriculum in Jan of 2011. It is Brian's hope that as a Nurse he can leave a lasting legacy that is a credit to the life and selflessness of his donor and their family.
Past Winners
You may also be interested in checking out the winners from our May 2010 contest, 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
