FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — Fifty Fort Cavazos spouses and high school seniors were honored by the Fort Hood Military Family Member Scholarship Fund in a scholarship award ceremony May 11 at the Main Post Chapel here.
The FHMFMSF has been supporting military families for 38 years by providing scholarships to high school seniors and spouses at Fort Cavazos.
“We serve active-duty, retiree and Gold Star families in the surrounding six counties from Waco to Austin to Lampasas,” said Summer Barbina, FHMFMSF president. “The scholars we are recognizing this evening represent students at the top of their class, new military spouses, young parents, class leaders, elite athletes, community volunteers, artists, writers, musicians and more. They skillfully juggle the challenges of military life with their education and show very bright and promising futures. We will be awarding a scholarship to every applicant who met our eligibility criteria — all 50 of them.”
This was the most scholarships that the FHMFMSF has given out to date totaling $83,500.
These scholarships have a profound impact on the recipients. The first guest speaker, Danielle Devins, received a $4,000 scholarship from the FHMFMSF last year and has completed her first year of college at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in public health, a minor in health reform and a certificate in pre-health professions.
“I know how challenging it can be to pursue your dreams,” she said. “I understand that transitioning into college … can be somewhat difficult. However with the help of this scholarship it’s sure to become a lot easier.”
She urged them to take every opportunity that presented itself to them saying that they have a bright future ahead of them.
“I want to remind you that your education is an investment in your future,” Devins stated. “It’s an opportunity to learn, to grow and explore your passions.”
Lt. Gen. Sean C. Bernabe, III Armored Corps and Fort Cavazos commanding general, took the podium praising the FHMFMSF, their volunteers and the donors.
“When you look at what this fund does, there are a lot of organizations around the country that work in this field and try to garner donations and apply it to great things, but many of them have significant overhead,” Bernabe said. “This organization somehow does it with over 95% of the money going straight to the people who need it. The other part of it … is on the donor side. It takes a lot of generosity to get to the level of donation that we enjoy here at Fort Cavazos. We all have to thank you for your generosity and for taking the time to help out the Soldiers, family members and spouses here at Fort Cavazos.”
Then he spoke to the scholarship recipients, praising them for their resilience and sending them off with some wise advice.
“These recipients have demonstrated that they’re industrious, that they’re goal oriented and that they’re not afraid of a little bit of hard work,” Bernabe said. “We all know that military families face many challenges as they navigate all their school years and certainly in high school it’s potentially even more challenging. We look at the spouses … with many similar challenges. The spouses run households. The spouses help our military kids face those friction points … and at the same time many of our spouses pursue their own goals - education and beyond.
“I am happy that the scholarship fund is able to reward you for your hard work and to recognize your future potential by awarding each of you an academic scholarship to make things maybe just a little bit easier, and perhaps provide you a springboard into future success,” he added. “As you continue your academic journey don’t forget about all those people, those parents, other family members, that supported you, that motivated you and inspired you to get you to this point. There’s a couple of things you can do to demonstrate your appreciation. One is - remember to say, ‘Thank you.’ Two, when you go off to college … remember to call home. Your parents will appreciate it.”
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