The Coast Guard Foundation has announced the winners of eight $1,000 scholarships for members of the enlisted reserve for the 2022-2023 academic year. Sponsored by the United Services Automobile Association (USAA), the Coast Guard Foundation Enlisted Reserve Scholarship helps offset the costs of higher education for enlisted Coast Guard reservists and their dependents.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Brennan Kelly, a marine science technician at Sector Honolulu, will use the scholarship in his pursuit of a Bachelor of Arts in Theology at Pacific Rim Christian University. Kelly joined the service out of high school, was on active duty for 11 years, and has been a reservist for just over a year. The scholarship will help Kelly pursue his dream of a career in counseling. “My passion is helping people,” he said. “Counseling allows you to get to a deeper root that’s not just surface level.” News of the award was “a sign that what I’m doing is the right path.”
Petty Officer 2nd Class Johanna Brann, a yeoman at Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach, felt “excitement and pure joy” when she heard she had won the scholarship. In particular, she was thrilled “that the Coast Guard still has my back when I’m in the reserve and trying to get more education under my belt.” This scholarship will help Brann pursue a career in combatting human trafficking.
Chief Petty Officer Matthew Harding, a machinery technician at Station Belle Isle, Detroit, is “super excited” to use his scholarship to obtain a teaching license. “It’s going to make a huge difference for me to have that scholarship,” he told MyCG. A high school diesel mechanic instructor and a seasoned mechanic, Harding has used much of what he’s learned from the Coast Guard in civilian life. “I have two great careers that run side by side.”
The full list of winners is below:
- Petty Officer 2nd Class Johanna Brann, a yeoman at Sector Los Angeles/Long Beach, is pursuing a Master of Science in Digital Forensics and Cyber Investigation at University of Maryland Global Campus.
- Morgan Chiara, dependent of Chief Petty Officer Lester Lanman, a machinery technician with Atlantic Strike Team, Fort Dix, is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences at Lock Haven University.
- Jillian Gonzalez, dependent of Petty Officer 2nd Class David McNeilly, a maritime enforcement specialist at Sector Houston/Galveston, received the scholarship.
- Chief Petty Officer Matthew Harding, a machinery technician at Coast Guard Station Belle Isle, Detroit, is pursuing a certificate in Career Technical Workforce Education at Bowling Green State University.
- Petty Officer 2nd Class Brennan Kelly, a marine science technician at Sector Honolulu, is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Theology at Pacific Rim Christian University.
- Cody Lang, dependent of Petty Officer 3rd Class Katie Lang, a marine science technician at Marine Safety Unit Chicago, is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
- Katherine Martin, dependent of Petty Officer 1st Class James Martin, an intelligence specialist at Maritime Intelligence Fusion Center Pacific (MIFC PAC), is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi.
- Chief Petty Officer Tiffany Molinick, a marine science technician chief at FORCECOM, Norfolk, is pursuing a doctorate in Biomedical Sciences at Old Dominion University.
Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply for next year’s scholarship. Applicants must submit an essay and transcripts and must be an enlisted Coast Guard reservist or a dependent of an enlisted reservist. Applicants must also be enrolled in or accepted to an accredited degree program.
If you have any questions, please contact Lt. Louis K. Carsia, reserve programs manager. For more information about this and other reserve scholarships, click here.
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