Putting aside goals is common for many. Especially, if you are a spouse of an active-duty naval officer raising two children.
Such was the fate of stay-at-home mom and CSU student Kelly Dripps until her winning essay submission for the Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship earned her a chance to complete her college education.
“My education has been placed on hold for about 10 years because of the financial challenges of paying for a college degree,” she said. “This has been wonderful news to me and my family because now this scholarship will help me reach my academic goals of obtaining a bachelor’s degree.”
The Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship, which honors the spouses and children of active-duty public safety personnel (firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMTs and dispatchers) and military men and women, covers tuition for up to 24 months for one specific online degree program with CSU. The CSU scholarship is awarded six times a year to two individuals each time.
Dripps lives with husband Chief Petty Officer Abelardo Dripps, who is also a CSU student, and their two toddlers in Fort Belvoir, Va., where she volunteers with the Belvoir Enlisted Spouse Club. Her work to help revitalize the group inspired her.
“This experience has allowed me to discover my talents and an inner desire to make a difference among the lives of other,” she explained. “I have a passion for helping people… I love planning and organizing events and I hope to one day work for a non-profit organization as a fundraising coordinator for community outreach programs. I am looking forward to finally finishing this lifelong educational journey.”
She and her husband are sharing the journey as they both are pursuing degrees in hospitality and tourism with CSU.
So for Kelly Dripps, her educational goal is now one less thing put on hold.
To learn more about the Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship, please call 888-785-3006 or send an email to hero@columbiasouthern.edu. If you would like learn more about CSU, please visit www.ColumbiaSouthern.edu.
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