UGA Student Veterans Resource Center Honor Cord Ceremony and Scholarship Reception
On May 4, 2022, the Student Veterans Resource Center hosted the first in-person Honor Cord Ceremony since 2019 for the 79 student veterans eligible to graduate this calendar year. The Honor Cord serves as a symbol of gratitude for the student veteran’s unique life experience, maturity and perspective that student veterans bring to classroom discussions and out-of-class activities to enhance the overall educational experience of all UGA students.
Graduating students who received honor cords from President Morehead and their areas of study are as follows:
- John Anderson Master of Accountancy
- Anthony Blankenship BS, Electrical Engineering
- Heather Brown BSFCS, Furnishings and Interiors
- James Burris II Master of Business Administration
- Benjamin Causey Juris Doctor
- Anastasia Croft MEd, Science Education
- Dylan Cruz BSEd, Exercise and Sports Science
- Starlyn Endres Juris Doctor
- Cynthia Fallness Master of Food Animal Medicine
- Reid Ferrero Master of Landscape Architecture
- James Fulton BS, Mathematics
- Anna Gardner Master of Business Administration
- Jonathan Gardner Master of Business Administration
- Parker George BA, Sociology
- Jason Hedrick Master of Business Administration
- Alexander Hill Juris Doctor
- William Joines Master of Business Administration
- Wallace Jones Master of Social Work
- Joseph Jung BBA, Management Information Systems
- Jacob Lay Master of Business Administration
- Nathan McCreary Master in the Study of Law
- Brian Mulwo Master of Social Work
- Lisa Newman PhD, Learning, Leadership and Organizational Development
- Mensford Owusu Master of Social Work
- Josh Patten BSFCS, Financial Planning
- Jackson Perry Master of Business Administration
- April Phillips BS, Biology
- Josh Rayfield BBA, Finance
- Nathan Schoffer Master of Business Administration
- Michael Scott Master of Business Administration
- Gabriel Shaber BBA, Finance
- Tyerus Skala Juris Doctor
- Jacinta Smith Doctor of Public Health
- Mason Strain Master of Business Administration
- Nicholas Trevena Master of Business Administration
- Adrian Valdivia Roman BBA, Risk Management and Insurance
- George Vaughan Doctor of Public Health
- Rina Velasco BS, Mechanical Engineering
- Kayla Vickers Master of Business Administration
- Melody Weisbaum Master of Social Work
- Matthew Welker Master of Business Administration
- Eric Williams Master of Business Administration
- Andrew Wilson BS, Mechanical Engineering
- Allan Wiltshire Master of Business Administration
In addition to the Honor Cord Ceremony, the Student Veterans Resource Center (SVRC) granted ninety-eight awards and scholarships with a combined value of $70,700. Thanks to the generosity of both individual and corporate donors, more than 193 scholarships with a combined value of $120,400 were awarded this academic year alone, which has doubled in the last 3 years.
Student veterans who received scholarships at the May 4th ceremony are as follows:
- Lockheed-Martin STEM Awards: Matthew Aluisio, Brandon Anderson, Anthony Blankenship, Hunter Bradford, Charles Bradford, Thomas Carroll, Jamie Coppola, Dylan Cruz, Caitlyn Davis, Joshua DeJongh, Adam Drew, Leisli Duran-Rosales, Joseph Jung, William Lord, Andrew Perez, Tyler Putt, Brennen Sanders, Nicholas Sesing, Holly Simon, Persia Tillman, Rina Velasco, Tamera Wallace, Andrew Wilson
- Lockheed-Martin Experiential Learning Awards: Ricardo Bean, Anna Gardner, Jonathan Gardner, Jacob Lay, Nathan Shoffer, Matthew Welker
- Corporal Evan Andrew Marshall Memorial Scholarship: Ricardo Bean, Nicholas Dobie, Michael Hines, Frank Woods
- Reynolds Veterans Association Endowed: Grant McDonald, Allan Wiltshire
- UGA Parents Leadership Council Awards: Cala Connell, Elizabeth Decesare, Erich Jochimsen, Eric Martin, Josh Patten, Josh Rayfield
- Frances Wood Wilson Foundation: Starlyn Endres, Judah Robinson, Tyerus Skala
- Military Order of the Purple Heart: Tyler Putt
- James and Jessica Whitley Scholarship: Johnathan Anderson, Alexander Hill, Mensford Owusu, Matthew Welker
- COL and Mrs. James A. Franklin Scholarship: Caleb Ray and Jason Badia
- Richard and Sherry Barrett Scholarship: Jonathan Florencio
- Richard Warner- Grit Award: Edward Bakhos, Jalynn Colvin, James Greco, Theodore Waldron, Wallace Jones, Shane Kozusko, Stanley Mayfield, Julian Saviano, Brian Ulbricht, Matthew Walshe
- Kropp Student Veterans Scholarship: Jason Hedrick
- Fitzgerald Family Veteran Scholarship: Sophia Haynes and Gabriel Shaber
- Yates Family Scholarship for Student Veterans: James Graco, Grant McDonald, Josh Rayfield, Judah Robinson
- Chu Family Foundation Awards: presented by the Chu Family Foundation: Caitlyn Davis, Jonathan Florencio, Gabriel Strickland-Chism, Brian Mulwo, Melody Weisbaum, Eric Williams
- SVRC Excellence Awards: Benjamin Causey, Jeff Hannon, Lamar Johnson, Nathan McCreary, Nicholas Trevena, Robert Wedge
- SVRC Impact Awards: Jordan Botte, Blaise Gargiulo, Marie Jacobs, William Joines, Mike Newberry, Mason Strain
Director of the Student Veterans Resource Center, Dr. Jon Segars (pictured far right) said, “We are thankful to our generous donors who have made these scholarships possible. The majority of our student veterans are older, have families and/or have life responsibilities such as a mortgage or car payment.
While military benefits offset some of the costs, individual student veterans must find additional ways to be self-supporting. This semester’s scholarship awards represent the largest number of recipients in a single semester, and we are grateful to our donors who provide support to these deserving student veterans.”
The Student Veterans Resource Center is a department within UGA’s Division of Student Affairs. As part of its purpose, the SVRC partners with The Student Veterans Association, whose members provide student veteran leadership and collaboration on campus.
For more information regarding the SVRC, contact Jon Segars at 706-542-7872, email jon.segars@uga.edu or learn more online at svrc.uga.edu
By Amber George
