Winning the CSU Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship came at a good time for Jennifer Kingham of Fayetteville, N.C.
“I was at a crossroad as I am five classes away from earning my master’s degree, but had run out of MyCAA funds,” she explained. “If it wasn’t for the scholarship, I would have to take a break from school until I could find funds to complete my classes. I am so grateful to be chosen out of all the applicant’s and thankful to CSU for offering the scholarship to begin with.”
The Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship honors the spouses and children of active-duty public safety personnel (firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMTs and dispatchers) and military men and women.
Kingham, a stay-at-home mom who is married to Air Force Tech Sgt. Jason Kingham, received the online scholarship based on her entry in the Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship essay contest sponsored by CSU. The scholarship covers tuition for up to 24 months for one specific degree program.
“I believe that after being married to the military for eight years now, I truly understand the concept of the ‘hero behind the hero.’ I understand the high and the lows, the perks and the cons of living as a military wife and keeping the homefront stable for our three children when the military calls my husband away,” she said.
Kingham, who obtained her bachelor’s in criminal justice from CSU in 2007, said she is returning for her master’s degree in criminal justice and hopes to “one day have a thriving career as a federal investigator and a professor at an online university.”
She added that she has always had an interest in criminal justice. “Even as a little girl one of my favorite shows was ‘COPS,’ Kingham said. “My father served as an agent with the Air Force while I was growing up, which just piqued my interest more. Forensics and crime-scene investigations are my passion and I am always wanting to learn more about investigative tactics.”
Kingham worked as an intern of a federal investigative office for a while “and during that time, my passion for this career choice was proven to be the right fit for me. I loved every second of it!”
The mother of three extended a special thank you to CSU for creating the Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship.
“To me, this scholarship means ‘completion’. It will be what I need in order to complete the past 10 years of school. I will be able to earn my master’s and truly find my placement within the criminal justice system. I am thrilled to know that my financial stress is no longer a part of my educational path and that I can now completely focus on my classes and hopefully graduate with a 4.0,” she said.
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