FORT SILL, Okla. -- Our Family for Families First, a private, charitable foundation, selected Tatiana Cox, a Lawton High School graduate, as one of its $50,000 college scholarship winners.
The daughter of Staff Sgt. Vonetta Benefield, 214th Fires Brigade, Cox participated in basketball, volleyball, track and the National Honor Society. She plans to study psychology at Northeastern University in Boston.
The scholarship was 1 of 10 the foundation awarded to outstanding high school students of military families. Since its founding in 2006 by John Picerne, Corvias Group chief executive officer, the foundation has awarded more than $4.5 million in scholarships to the families of active-duty service members.
The scholarships provide reliable, recurring financial assistance over each student's four years of study, as well as a support network that is committed to his or her academic and professional growth. Students receive scholarships in the amount of up to $12,500 per year for four years to pursue a secondary education at colleges and universities around the country.
"The caliber of students applying for our scholarships is exceptional," said Maria Montalvo, foundation executive director. "All of the applicants are hardworking students who are active in their schools and communities."
Our Families for Families First awarded the scholarships based on merit and need. Students were required to submit a 1,000-word essay on their experience being part of an active-duty military family.
"The opportunity for Corvias Group to serve our military is an honor. We wanted to further our commitment to bettering the communities in which we live and serve by creating a foundation to promote educational opportunities for students just like these," said Picerne. "We are proud of our scholarship recipients for what they've already achieved and are so happy to be a part of what they will become."
Among this year's scholarship recipients are aspiring psychologists, economists, musicians, those with medical school aspirations and business dreams. The nine other graduating seniors are children of active-duty service members stationed at forts Bragg, N.C.; Meade, Md.; Polk, La.; Riley, Kan.; and Rucker, Ala.
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