thedrifter
12-11-07, 04:44 AM
Aid helps would-be flier's lofty dream
BY LYNSEY JOHNSON
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Tuesday, December 11th 2007, 4:00 AM
It's a long and difficult road to becoming a Marine pilot, but for Kenneth Bobby of Woodside, golden wings have already arrived in the form of a grant from the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.
Bobby, the son of a retired Marine, is among the most recent to get a scholarship from the nonprofit organization, established to help children of current or former Marines get higher educations.
The foundation offers one-year scholarships of up to $10,000, and a Heroes Tribute scholarship, totaling $20,000 over four years, to every child of a Marine killed in combat. It annually gives out an average of 1,044 scholarships nationwide, totaling nearly $3.5 million, said Chris Randolph, a former Marine and the president of the foundation.
The average Marine's family income is $41,000 - a sum that would leave anyone in a bind for daily expenses, Randolph notes, let alone someone trying to send children to college."The pay scale in the military is what it is and the cost of school is growing. We really provide a means for these kids to go to school," he said.
In New York state this year, 50 awards were given to students like Bobby, whose father served as an embassy guard in the Soviet Union more than 20 years ago.
A freshman at LaGuardia Community College majoring in liberal arts, Bobby said that receiving his $1,400 scholarship in April helps keep him out of debt and puts him one step closer to achieving his dream of becoming a Marine pilot.
"Most scholarships are competitive but not a lot of scholarships are geared toward kids of Marines," said Bobby, 19, whose tuition is $3,000 a year.
The scholarship allows him to set his sights on applying to aviation colleges, such as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, without worrying too much about money, Bobby said.
It's that kind of ambition that makes Randolph and his organization proud.
"We can never do enough to say thank you to the people who wear the uniform. Sending their kids to school is just one way," Randolph said.
Ellie
BY LYNSEY JOHNSON
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Tuesday, December 11th 2007, 4:00 AM
It's a long and difficult road to becoming a Marine pilot, but for Kenneth Bobby of Woodside, golden wings have already arrived in the form of a grant from the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.
Bobby, the son of a retired Marine, is among the most recent to get a scholarship from the nonprofit organization, established to help children of current or former Marines get higher educations.
The foundation offers one-year scholarships of up to $10,000, and a Heroes Tribute scholarship, totaling $20,000 over four years, to every child of a Marine killed in combat. It annually gives out an average of 1,044 scholarships nationwide, totaling nearly $3.5 million, said Chris Randolph, a former Marine and the president of the foundation.
The average Marine's family income is $41,000 - a sum that would leave anyone in a bind for daily expenses, Randolph notes, let alone someone trying to send children to college."The pay scale in the military is what it is and the cost of school is growing. We really provide a means for these kids to go to school," he said.
In New York state this year, 50 awards were given to students like Bobby, whose father served as an embassy guard in the Soviet Union more than 20 years ago.
A freshman at LaGuardia Community College majoring in liberal arts, Bobby said that receiving his $1,400 scholarship in April helps keep him out of debt and puts him one step closer to achieving his dream of becoming a Marine pilot.
"Most scholarships are competitive but not a lot of scholarships are geared toward kids of Marines," said Bobby, 19, whose tuition is $3,000 a year.
The scholarship allows him to set his sights on applying to aviation colleges, such as Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, without worrying too much about money, Bobby said.
It's that kind of ambition that makes Randolph and his organization proud.
"We can never do enough to say thank you to the people who wear the uniform. Sending their kids to school is just one way," Randolph said.
Ellie