FORT SILL, Okla. -- Army family member Daniella Hightower is starting college at the University of Oklahoma with extra funds thanks to a scholarship she received from Picerne Military Housing founder John Picerne.
Picerne's Our Family for Families First charitable foundation, awarded 10 scholarships to Army youths. Daniella, the daughter of Ethel and Sgt. 1st Class Don Hightower, Fires Center of Excellence, will receive $12,500 per year for four years.
"Winning this scholarship is such an honor and means a lot to me," said Daniella. "I didn't realize how expensive college is, so I'm just glad I was able to help pay for it."
Academic excellence is something the Hightowers nurtured in their children throughout their schooling.
Each afternoon following school, Ethel, a stay-at-home mom, had a snack ready for Daniella and her two brothers, Then, the three kids spent a few hours on homework. However, they didn't work alone as both parents spent time with their children and showed an interest in their what they were studying.
Sergeant Hightower said he grew up with minimal support in his school-age years. When he became a parent, he wanted to find out what he could do to not just help his children pass but to excel at school.
"We decided to see what they could accomplish with the maximum support of love, food and shelter," he said. "We got them into a great routine where they developed excellent study skills and work habits."
The evidence of that lies in the grade point averages of the three Hightower children. Daniella's 4.43 GPA landed her as valedictorian for her class of 471 students at Lawton High School. Her two brothers, one in college at Cameron University, and the other still in high school, also had GPAs above 4.2.
The scholarships, based on merit and need, required applicants to submit a 1,000-word essay about how their lives, families and military experience shaped who they are today.
Daniella said Army life helped her to be adaptable. She said deployments were hard, but even though her dad was gone, they continued to work hard to get good grades.
Community service was another component of the scholarship package. Daniella satisfied this requirement by serving in the Catholic youth group on post, she was also a member of the National Honors Society, Key Club and student council president in her senior year of high school.
Despite this heavy load, Daniella enjoyed a good home life in her close-knit family
"I'm thankful they are here when I need them. I know this wouldn't have happened without their support," said Daniella.
Though Army life required Sergeant Hightower to be gone from his family for extended periods of time, he said at each instance he asked for stability for his family. As a result they have lived at Fort Sill and Fort Carson, each for nine years.
"The Army provided a firm foundation for my family, and that was a springboard for my kids to be successful in their own terms," he said. "I only ask that they contribute to society in a positive way and to think of others instead of themselves."
Since its inception, the Our Family for Families First foundation has awarded $3 million in scholarships to families of active-duty Army Soldiers. It was created to support the spouses and children of active-duty Soldiers stationed to forts Meade, Bragg, Polk, Rucker, Riley, Sill and Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
Families do not have to reside in on-post housing to qualify for grants or scholarships. The foundation is committed to supporting military families in the pursuit of higher education, instituting a tradition of community service and encouraging professional career paths through education, internships and mentoring programs. It also serves to further the primary mission of Picerne Military Housing -- putting military families first.
"The caliber of students applying for our scholarships was exceptional," said Maria Montalvo, foundation executive director. "All of the applicants, the children of active-duty Soldiers, were hard-working students who were active in their schools and communities and more than deserving of a college scholarship."
Editor's note: Some information in this article is courtesy of Picerne Military Housing.
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