Two students from Naval Base Kitsap were each awarded a $2,000 grant from the Scholarships for Military Children program for the 2020-2021 school year.
Hope Martin and Danielle Snyder were two of the 500 students awarded out of 4,851 applications from 225 commissaries. The scholarship program is administered by the Fisher House Foundation, a non-profit organization for service members and their families.
Normally, a ceremony would’ve been hosted at the Naval Base Kitsap–Bangor Commissary for the winners. Due to COVID-19 and safety restrictions, the certificates were mailed instead.
While a ceremony may have been a nice gesture for some people, Martin didn’t seem affected by the lack of fanfare.
“A couple of weeks ago I received notification that I had received the scholarship,” she said. “I was really really excited when I pulled the certificate out of the mail. I tore it open and called my mom right away.”
Martin, of Seabeck, Washington, looks forward to earning an engineering degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. She said her family motivated her to apply for the scholarship.
“My sister applied for the program a few years back, and that motivated me to apply,” she said. “My dad and I sat down and created a big spreadsheet of possible scholarships. He really pushed for me to apply to this one.”
As part of the application process, high school candidates must submit their official transcripts with a minimum 3.0 out of 4.0 grade point average. If enrolled in college, they must have a 2.5 GPA or above; and write an essay of 500 words or less. The essay prompt changes every year. This year it was about who inspired them that made a positive impact on the community.
“I wrote about Alice Paul,” Martin continued. “She was a women’s suffrage activist. I believed that without her, we wouldn’t have the equality we have for women today.”
Snyder, of Bremerton, Washington, focused her essay on her mother. She said her lessons throughout the years boiled down to mutual kindness and respect.
“I grew up in the Kitsap County School District,” Snyder said. “My mother has worked in the same district since I can remember. I grew up around the teachings of many, but the number-one thing I remember is kindness. It made me realize where I want to go in life, and gave her the motivation and dedication to work and [to] help people.”
Snyder said she was excited when she received her certificate in the mail. It made her feel like her hard work was finally paying off. Her main goals in life are to not only help people, but make sure they can live their lives to the fullest.
“I want to attend the University of Boise [Idaho] and work on a degree in psychology with the intent for occupational therapy,” Snyder said. “I feel like a load of stress has been lifted off my shoulders after receiving this scholarship. I want nothing more than to study without having to worry about how I’m going to pay for it. I just want to help people, and if I can reach that goal quicker and with a little less stress, then it will be a little less painful.”
“I just want to say ‘thank you’ for offering this scholarship to us,” Snyder added. “I feel like I can focus on school now. With one little success will come a bigger success.”
All rules and requirements for the program can be found at the Scholarships for Military Children website, militaryscholar.org, as well as this year's winners.
| Date Taken: | 06.19.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 06.19.2020 17:52 |
| Story ID: | 372516 |
| Location: | NAVAL BASE KITSAP-BREMERTON, WA, US |
| Hometown: | NAVAL BASE KITSAP-BREMERTON, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 112 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Naval Base Kitsap youths earn scholarships through DECA, by PO2 Victoria Galbraith, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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