By Alita Byrd
Special to FYI Online

Carrie Estrella with her children.

Carrie Estrella, Kristie Nelson, and Keri Welch may live worlds apart, but they have something very important in common: they are military spouses who are among the first recipients of Household International Military Family Scholarship Funds to attend UMUC. Without these awards, Estrella, Nelson, and Welch may not have been able to pursue their college education—or complete it as quickly.

“The Household International Military Family Scholarship Fund is need-based, and it is intended for direct educational expenses only, which includes tuition, fees, and books,” said Dawn Mosisa, associate vice president for financial aid. “However, military tuition assistance must be exhausted before eligibility can be determined. This is a great approach, because it means UMUC will be targeting these funds toward the students who need them most.”

Carrie Estrella is a full-time mom who is simultaneously working toward a college degree in accounting while her husband is deployed overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. It’s a challenge to find any quiet time to study with two young children in the house, but that’s not the only problem. As a single-income military family, it can be tough to make ends meet—and then pay for college tuition on top of all the other bills.

“The scholarship paid for one of my classes this semester,” Estrella said. “I was very surprised to win.”

Estrella began working on her degree from UMUC a year ago and, thus far, has completed all of her classes online. She said that she has to remain very focused in order to keep up, but “the benefit of taking online classes allows me the flexibility to log on to a class at my convenience. By the time the kids are ready to go to sleep, I am ready to go to sleep as well. I have found my best time studying is very early in the morning, before 5 a.m.”

Kristie Nelson has spent the past 12 years living on military bases around the world with her husband, a rigger for the U.S. Air Force. Living in places as far-flung as Germany, Turkey, and Japan hasn’t kept Nelson from pursuing an associate’s degree in management. But it isn’t easy to pay for college classes, especially when her husband is also pursuing a degree.

“With both my husband and I attending school, finances get tight,” Nelson said. “I had to drop my studies down to one class a term because that was all we could afford. With this scholarship, I was able to register for two classes a term to help me complete my degree more quickly.”

Nelson started taking classes so she would be able to help tutor her husband in math, but then got inspired to complete a degree herself. She began her degree program at UMUC in 2002, taking some classes via distance education and other classes in a traditional classroom at Yokota Air Force Base in Japan.

Nelson keeps busy mothering her children, ages 13, 10, nine, and six, and volunteering with the Girl Scouts. Because UMUC offers so many of its classes online, Nelson is able to keep up with her studies, too. Now that she can take two classes a term, she plans to finish by August 2005.

Keri Welch currently works as a field representative for UMUC at Volkel Air Base, in the Netherlands, but since the site is so small, she only works 10 hours a week.

“Job opportunities here are extremely limited,” Welch said. “I hold one of the few civilian positions at our base and for that I am extremely fortunate. But it doesn’t pay for much beyond books each term!”

Welch is finishing her master’s degree this year, and while she is not holding her breath about getting a counseling job in the Netherlands, she hopes to become a high school guidance counselor back in the States.

“I was absolutely shocked when I received the scholarship,” Welch said. “It has really allowed me to devote the minimal resources that we have as a military family to other things that we want to do, like saving to buy a house and traveling in Europe.”

Welch also wants to make a real difference in people’s lives. After volunteering as a youth representative at her local church, she learned that she had a talent for helping teenagers understand some of life’s big questions. Studying to be a counselor was the next logical step.

UMUC’s master’s program was a perfect fit for Welch. The combination of distance education and face-to-face classes gave her flexibility, and she said that she felt enriched by her professors and fellow students.

“I can honestly say that they have made me a better person,” Welch said.

Welch’s husband is also working on a degree from UMUC. “While the U.S. Air Force pays for my husband’s tuition, attending school still poses a financial burden for us,” Welch said. “But with the scholarship, I am able to pay for more classes now.”

According to William F. Aldinger, chairman and CEO of HSBC North America Holdings Inc., parent company of Household International, the scholarships the company sponsors for U.S. military families are a way to “give something back” to the community.

“I believe companies like ours, that have been very successful for their clients and shareholders, should give something back to their communities,” said Aldinger. “Many employees at Household International are now serving, or have served, in the U.S. armed services. Service members and their families give so much for all of us. These Household scholarships for military families are a way we can give something back to them. At Household, we feel it is our duty as a good corporate citizen.”

Twenty-five families have benefited from the Household International Military Family Scholarship Fund, and 25 more scholarships will be awarded this year.

The monies are part of a $2 million partnership established in 2003 between UMUC and Household International that included $500,000 earmarked for establishing the scholarship fund. Funds awarded annually will come from interest earned on the $500,000 endowment, which means the scholarships will be available indefinitely.

“UMUC’s military advising team and UMUC’s financial aid offices in Adelphi, Europe, and Asia will all play a role in ensuring that our military students are aware of this wonderful scholarship opportunity,” said Mosisa.