Sometimes dreams require sacrifice.
For wife and mother Joanna Maloney, she gladly made the sacrifice for her husband to leave Pennsylvania.
“We decided, as a family, to move to South Carolina to support my husband in achieving his dream of becoming a police officer,” the former office manager said. “Entering the job search market, I learned that the associate degree I have was not enough for me to be able to land the job I wanted and knew that I was capable of doing.”
So after hearing about CSU and the Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship the university offers, Maloney decided to enter the essay contest for the scholarship. The award honors the spouses and children of active-duty public safety personnel (firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMTs and dispatchers) and military men and women, and covers tuition for up to 24 months for one specific online degree program with CSU. The scholarship is awarded six times a year.
Her moving essay won her the scholarship and now she is eager to begin her educational journey with CSU.
“I have an associate degree in healthcare management, but I really desire a bachelor’s degree in business administration. I want to be a well-rounded manager in any field or industry, not just healthcare. Being on the job search again, I was able to meet with several different companies in several different industries and the one thing that I learned about myself is that I want to have a career, not just a job,” explained Maloney, whose spouse is Matt Maloney, a patrolman with Isle of Palms (S.C.) Police Department.
She added that she is happy that the opportunity to earn an online bachelor’s degree in business administration will help her contribute to her family monetarily. “But, most importantly, I will be proud of myself and a role model to my girls, friends and family.”
To learn more about the Hero Behind the Hero Scholarship, please call 888-785-3006 or send an email to hero@columbiasouthern.edu.