Education Day Recognizes Outstanding Students

In June, the chapter hosted its annual Education Day, where the chapter awarded education scholarships to students followed and heard a presentation from guest speaker Sgt. Maj. Kevin McCrary, USA, U.S. Army Office of the Chief Information Officer/G-6. Each year, the chapter awards scholarships to qualified students who are pursuing degrees in the command, control, communications, computers and intelligence fields and those supportive of national security. Since 2005, the chapter's Scholarship program has awarded more than $750,000 to deserving students. Proceeds from all chapter events and sponsorships go directly toward scholarship and grant programs. Students waited anxiously at the Fort Belvoir Officers Club with parents and loved ones to receive their educational scholarship. Bill Jones, chapter president, shared his thoughts on education and the value it brings not only to young college students but also to adults in the workplace as they continue to build their careers. Jones strongly believes education is never ending and explained that the chapter's main purpose is to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and scholarships throughout the Belvoir community. This year, five high school seniors were awarded scholarships of $1,000 each. Along with their scholarship checks, the lucky students received Dell Inspiron 15 laptops to help them with their homework and studies as they head off to college. Twenty-seven scholarships in the amount of $1,500 each were awarded to continuing education students. In total, the chapter gave out an impressive $45,500 this year for the Spring Education Scholarships. Following the presentation of scholarships, Sgt. Maj. McCrary treated the students to a motivational speech with an emphasis on the STEM disciplines. He connected with the recipients by explaining the significance of computer engineering degrees and stressing that those degrees represent a small percentage in the United States and that they also lead to the highest paying jobs. He also explained the positive impact of parents and mentors during college and the value of strong moral character in order to be successful in school and your career. Sgt. Maj. McCrary's parting words to the scholarship recipients at Annual Education Day were words to live by: “Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. And watch your habits, for they become your character.”

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