Patriot Spouses' Club awards scholarships

Lawton High School senior Kristian Cárdenas, 18, has been saving money to go to college.

On May 12, she came closer to her monetary goals when she became one of nine students to receive a Patriot Spouses' Club educational scholarship grant at Fort Sill, Okla.

"I'm excited, I was hoping that I would get it," said Cárdenas, who will be a freshman at the University of North Texas this fall. "I plan to use it to get books, maybe room-and-board."

The PSC awards scholarships every year to graduating high school seniors, military spouses, and students already in college to continue their education, said Melissa Diley, PSC scholarship chair.

Applicants must have a Fort Sill sponsor, either active duty, National Guard, Reserve or retired.

"Giving back to the children and spouses of our military members is a great way to help those who have served," Diley said.

This year scholarships ranged from $500 to $2,000 and totaled $9,000, Diley said. The funds are paid directly to the educational institution, and can be used to cover tuition, books and living expenses.

Awardees are selected by a committee of six rotating military senior spouses, who review the applications. Diley said she removed the names from the applications, so reviewers did not know whose application they were evaluating.

Sixteen applicants were judged on grade point average, academic honors, extra-curricular activities, community service, employment, as well as ACT and SAT scores for the high school applicants.

Applicants also had to write a 500-word essay on what they would do to impact or improve their community if they were in a position to do so. Recipient Melissa Flynn, 20, a mathematics major at the University of Mississippi, said her essay was about improving access to her school in Oxford.

"I wrote that I would put in more sidewalks and bike paths because I know that a lot of students live off campus, and parking is really bad on campus," said Flynn, who just completed her sophomore year. "The bike lanes and sidewalks could help eliminate parking problems."

Publicity for the scholarship program began in January at SillFacts -- an open meeting of Fort Sill and community leaders about what's occurring in the Lawton-Fort Sill community.

The online application deadline was mid-March, and the committee made its selections April 21.

They were not easy selections to make, the competition was close, and the committe put in a lot of thought and discussion to make their decisions, Diley said.

She wrote to the applicants notifying them whether they were selected or not. The recipients were invited to a reception May 12, at the commanding general's residence to receive their scholarships. Six of the scholarship winners were able to attend.

The PSC has been providing scholarships for years, Diley said. The scholarship funds are raised through club fundraisers throughout the year, with the major one being the gala in January.

Jean Anders was awarded a scholarship in the military spouse category. She is a returning student currently at Cameron University in Lawton. Anders said she will transfer to Southwest Oklahoma State University this fall, where she plans to enroll in its physical therapy assistant curriculum.

"It's an accomplishment coming back to school as an adult," said Anders, 39. "It was a lot easier before as a traditional student because you're just focused on school, but now I have to balance school, my kids' activities and his (husband's) career."

Scholarship winner Katherine Zebrowski is homeschooled. She has lived in three states during her high school years. She plans to attend Cameron University this fall majoring in allied health, eventually working in nursing.

She said the scholarships were available, so why not apply for them? The award will go a long way to help defray her college expenses, she added.

Katherine's father, Capt. Patrick Zebrowski, B Battery, 95th Adjutant General Battalion (Reception), was one of the many parents and family members at the reception.

"I'm just proud of her," said the captain, who is slated to become the new battery commander this week. "I know the hard work it takes to win a scholarship."

Col. Glenn Waters, Fort Sill Garrison commander, accepted the scholarship on behalf of his oldest daughter Kayleigh Waters, a junior at the School of Visual Arts in New York. He praised the PSC scholarship program.

"College is expensive, and living in New York City is very expensive so the scholarship helps out," he said. "The Army kids do great pursuing multiple scholarships, and those scholarships add up to take care of expenses."

The scholarship program is one way the PSC gives back to the Lawton-Fort Sill community, said Christen Stasevich, PSC president. Over the past year, the club donated an additional $5,000 in welfare grants to numerous agencies.

"The whole goal of our club is to give back to the community," she said. "We spend the year raising money for these causes."

RECIPIENTS

Jean Anders, military spouse, Cameron University (CU) transferring to Southwest Oklahoma State University.

Melissa Flynn, continuing college student, University of Mississippi.

Silas Percival, continuing college student, Wichita State University.

Kayleigh Waters, continuing college student, School of Visual Arts New York City.

Kristian Cárdenas, graduating senior, Lawton High School (LHS).

Jessica Flynn, graduating senior, LHS. She plans to attend Oklahoma State University (OSU).

Lucy Hodges, graduating senior, Cache High School. She plans to attend OSU.

Alexis Matallana, graduating senior, LHS. She plans to attend the University of Alabama.

Katherine Zebrowski, graduating senior, MM Academy Home School. She plans to attend Cameron.