Life Lessons

by Marine Scholar, Megan Solis

Born and raised the daughter of a Marine, I understand the difficulties military children experience, like frequent moves and deployments. But with every struggle there is something to be gained.

Last week, I had the honor of speaking on behalf of the 2019–20 class of Marine Scholars at the Scholarship Foundation’s National Scholarship Announcement Ceremony. And while each of us has faced adversity as a military child, we have gained the skill of adaptability.

My junior year of high school, I was in Texas attending Kingwood High School when Hurricane Harvey touched down. It flooded entire neighborhoods – taking homes from my closest friends and leaving many without a place to live. When the storms subsided, schools reopened and became sanctuaries of normalcy for those whose lives had been destroyed overnight. But Kingwood High School was so damaged by flood waters that the campus shut down for the entire year.

During that challenging time, I turned to the life lessons I learned as the child of a Marine – and worked hard to go above and beyond what was asked of me. My grades rose higher than ever before. I became chief of staff for my school’s journalism program. Girls Learn International recognized me as their secretary. And I was called upon as historian for the National Beta Club to promote the ideals of academic achievement and leadership.

This fall I will be attending The University of Texas at San Antonio, double majoring in interdisciplinary education and English as a Second Language. I have a large heart for kids and want to teach creative classes in the San Antonio community. It is because of my scholarship – and generous Scholarship Foundation supporters like you – that I can focus on developing these passions.

I want to be the kind of mentor that my Marine dad was to me, and pass down the lessons I’ve learned to the generations that will come after.

Thank you for making my future possible by allowing me and so many others to further our educations and pursue our largest dreams.

Thank you,
Megan Solis