The U.S. Marine Corps has always been a part of my life, and there were definitely difficult aspects to growing up in a Marine household: the deployments, several week or month-long training evolutions, and the moving around every two to three years.  Though these things were difficult at times, they also established a sense of resilience that have made each of my family members stronger.  Being surrounded by the Marine Corps my entire life has allowed me to see how the values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment shape Marines and their families, including my own.  The positive impact these core values have had on my life is evident by my desire to join the Marine Corps just as my father did 25 years ago. The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has helped me on that path.

Throughout my time at UNC Chapel Hill, I’ve served as a leader in several organizations on campus. Since my freshman year, I have been a midshipman in the Naval Reserves Officer Training Corps (NROTC). Because of my involvement with NROTC, I was afforded numerous leadership opportunities, including my involvement with the new student orientation and becoming a Resident Advisor (RA) on campus.  Within both roles, I have been identified as a leader and have been given the opportunity to mentor incoming students and also mentor the students who live in my dorm.

As I approach my senior year, the greatest impact I hope to leave on my University is through my involvement in the NROTC program.  I hope to impact the way the members of the program view the value of mentorship and military leadership.  I hope that the core values of the program and the shared values among my fellow midshipmen not only impacts those also involved in the program, but also my peers throughout the entire University.  I hope the dedication, commitment and service of my fellow midshipmen will help to develop an even greater sense of appreciation for the military on campus and within the local community. I am honored and proud to say that upon graduation, I will be commissioned as a 2ndLt in the United States Marine Corps.

The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation is much more than an organization that provides students with financial support; the Scholarship Foundation invests time and effort in the professional development of the students who awarded scholarships year-to-year.  The support system that the Foundation has provided me over the years has definitely made me a better person and a better leader.  Most importantly, the Foundation has given me the unique opportunity to actually focus on my academics instead of focusing my energy on finding part-time employment or taking out loans to pay for college, because the financial burden was too much to bear.

In addition to academic support, the Scholarship Foundation has allowed me to build relationships with other scholarship recipients and their families during the Foundation’s annual Scholarship Announcement Ceremonies. The Scholarship Foundation has also helped me develop various leadership skills, and this support has prepared me to take on tasks and assignments in the classroom, and chase the dreams I wish to achieve outside of the classroom. Every success I have, every accomplishment I make, and every hurdle I overcome, can be tied to the support I received from the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. #WhyMCSF

Can’t make it to the 2016 Scholarship Announcement Ceremony in Washington DC this year? You can still be part of the action! Share what the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has meant to you using #WhyMCSF and your message will be shared during our National Scholarship Announcement Ceremony on July 27!

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The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has provided me with scholarship support for the last four years, and I cannot put into words the meaning it has for me, both in terms of the scholarship itself, but also in the friends I have made through the Foundation. When I first received the scholarship, I was surprised to learn there was a ceremony to honor myself and my family – I had never heard of something like that before. Since then, every year my family and I have attended the Scholarship Announcement Ceremony, and we’ve made lasting friendships as well.

The scholarship from the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation means so much to me, because it was the reason I was allowed to attend college in the first place. At the beginning of my college career, my family was in the middle of a move from Yuma, Arizona to Marine Corps Base Quantico, and my parents were hesitant about the idea of attending such a large university due to finances. They shared that they wouldn’t be able to help me as much as they would like, because most of our money was going into the move and moving is already a stressful process without having to worry about the financial status of your child on the other side of the country, as I was going to stay in Arizona. However, when I received the scholarship from the Foundation, my parents’ worries were put at ease, and I was able to start my college career.

The Scholarship Foundation has shown me that there are people out there who truly care about my dad’s service, and I think the greatest gift someone can give to a parent is helping to assure them that their child has support, and I have felt nothing but support from the Foundation at every turn.

I could not imagine what I might have done without the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation throughout my college years. It has saved me a lot of stress, and my parents have a few less gray hairs! I love the Scholarship Foundation and all the people in it for their support and friendship. My family and I could not have made it this far without them.

The post #WhyMCSF (Part I) appeared first on Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.