Stories of Service: Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation
Generations of children of Marines have been able to afford college with the help of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Few, the Proud, the Marines.
The Marine Corps was founded in 1775 but there’s also an educational arm to the Corps. Since 1962 the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation has provided financial assistance to children of Marines enrolled in college.
In this week’s Stories of Service we feature the daughter of two Marines who is able to learn because her parents serve.
“I want to become a traveling nurse,” said Simona Richard, “but that’s only as a stepping stone to eventually becoming a pediatric doctor.”
Simona Richard is a rising sophomore at Howard University, a school she’s proud to attend and one she can afford with the help of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.
“I got into a very prestigious private school and our tuition is very high and continues to rise, I’m grateful for every dollar of the scholarship that I got,” said Richard, “I definitely would not be where I am without it.”
While she attends Howard, Richard is who she is because of her parents, who are each Marines.
“They’ve always been my 2 trophies that I got to walk around and show, with them I’ve created an amazing life and cultural experiences and just all around helping me to become a better person,” said Richard.
Her parents act as educational role models as well.
“While they’re Marines they’ve also gotten their degrees, it’s really inspiring,” said Richard, “I’m really proud of them and happy to have both of them in my life.”
Simona’s mom left active duty with the Marines in 2012 after the birth of Simona’s youngest sister, but Simona’s dad is currently a Sergeant Major.
“Every time he’s promoted he incorporates the entire family because he acknowledges that we all help each other grow and we can’t be where we are without each other,” said Richard.
This year the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation awarded $10.8 million to more than 2,700 children of Marines. That’s the highest dollar amount and most students assisted in a single tear in the Foundation’s history. More information about the scholarship can be found here: https://www.mcsf.org/