Coast Guard Foundation Announces Record Number of Scholarship Awardees
For the 2017/18 academic year, the Coast Guard Foundation is proud to announce a record 166 new scholarship awards to assist Coast Guard families pursue the goal of higher education. Combined with multi-year scholarship recipients and three Fallen Heroes Scholars, the Foundation is supporting 179 students totaling $500,000 this year.
“It is with extreme gratitude that I write to thank you for awarding me the Coast Guard Foundation scholarship - my family and I are eager to see the great opportunities this scholarship will open up for me,” wrote Sidney Jones in a letter to the Foundation. “Thank you for this incredible honor. It is a privilege to be a Coast Guard Foundation scholar.”
Of the new students receiving Coast Guard Foundation scholarship this year, four are class valedictorians and two are salutatorians; 27 had a high school GPA of 4.0 or higher, and one-third are STEM majors.
“The brave men and women of the Coast Guard are the epitome of dedication and commitment,” said Susan Ludwig, president of the Coast Guard Foundation. “Their children have again and again demonstrated that they too hold themselves to that same high standard. We are proud to give back to these young individuals by investing in their future. We believe that it is an investment that will benefit these families and ultimately our country.”
Our scholars represent the Coast Guard in their schools and communities and have all consistently shown the service’s core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty in their pursuit of academic achievements and service to others.
Sidney Jones, who is double majoring in Biology and Pre-Medicine at Louisiana State University, graduated in the top five percent of her graduating class with a 4.0 GPA. As a member of her high school debate team, Sidney is a regional champion, state champion, and national qualifier. Her father, Master Chief Petty Officer Heath Jones, has served in the Coast Guard for 22 years and is currently based at Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads.
Dawson Baker graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA and will be attending Troy University to study Economics. Dawson’s father, Chief Marine Science Technician Bruce Baker, retired in 2015 and was part of the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Strike Team based in New Jersey. Dawson expressed his commitment to helping others through his volunteer work and plans to study law in graduate school so he may play an active role in developing public policy.
Brynn Doughty’s mother, Senior Chief Petty Officer Heather Doughty, has been a member of the United States Coast Guard Band since 1999. Brynn graduated high school with a 4.1 GPA and will attend Florida Institute of Technology studying Ocean Engineering. She is a talented and accomplished musician and athlete. She received the Harvard Book Award for her academic and extracurricular achievements.
Rachel Fox is entering her final year at Duke University with a major in Neuroscience and minor in Global Health. Her father, Jeffry Fox, retired in 2003 after 20 years in the Coast Guard and has since served as a civilian Search and Rescue Controller at Sector Hampton Roads in Virginia. He was one of 18 survivors from the 1978 Coast Guard Cutter Cuyahoga collision and sinking when he was 19 years old.
In the 27 years of this program, the Coast Guard Foundation has paid out more than $4.7 million to more than 780 college-aged young adults to help the families of Coast Guard members achieve their goals of higher education.
This year’s record breaking number of scholarship applications is a 30 percent increase from last year, and we’re anticipating the need to increase further for 2018.
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