STAMFORD, Conn., Nov. 01, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SoldierStrong, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing advanced medical technologies to veterans, today announced its 2016 recipients of the SoldierScholar scholarship program. The program, which is open to all veterans who fought in the recent War on Terror, helps these veterans take their next steps forward in their academic and professional careers and aims to fill any tuition gaps the Post-9/11 GI Bill may leave.
“We are proud of our nation’s heroes and honored to help support their educational and professional goals and to help them gain the skills they need to provide for their families,” said Chris Meek, co-founder and Chairman of SoldierStrong. “Through the generosity of the American public, we have awarded over $300,000 since program inception to help our veterans pay for their education.”
This year’s recipients are:
- Jordan Robinson, Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
Jordan served in the Marine Corps until 2014, where she was a Marine Security Guard Staff Sergeant at American embassies in Mozambique, Austria and Cuba. Her primary work involved the protection of classified material vital to national security.
- Michael White, Georgetown University, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
Michael deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, where he served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, and later, to Kuwait in 2014, where he served as his Battalion’s Logistics Officer. He is now pursuing a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and plans to use his degree to begin a career in international development so he can bring sustainable economic development to post-conflict states.
- Salvatore DeMarco, Southern New Hampshire University
Salvatore served in the Army National Guard and was deployed to both, Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was exposed to several leading technologies utilized on the battlefield, sparking his interest in technology. Today, he is studying Management Information Systems and recently joined Aqueduct Technologies as part of its Enterprise Networking team. His goal is to continue his education to the graduate level.
- Jordan Kooiman, University of Florida
Jordan previously served two combat tours to Iraq. He is currently pursuing a clinical doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of Florida, expected to graduate in May 2017. Jordan is in his second of four clinical internships at the James A. Haley Veterans hospital in Tampa, working in the polytrauma therapy center with veterans and active duty personnel who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.
To learn more about the SoldierScholar program and how to donate, visit https://www.soldierstrong.org/scholarship.
About SoldierStrong
SoldierStrong, previously known as SoldierSocks, helps American patriots literally take their new steps forward. Through educational scholarships and by harnessing the most innovative technology in advanced rehabilitation, we help our returning service men and women to continue moving in the only direction they should know – forward. Nearly every dollar SoldierStrong receives goes towards direct support of American patriots so that they can re-acclimate to civilian life. Our organization works to remind those men and women who sacrificed so much that we are forever thankful.