Military Officer - December 2008 - (Page 28) rapidfire Scholarship Spotlight C olleen Varga, one of six children in a Coast Guard family, says she’s thankful for the assistance MOAA’s Scholarship Fund provided her while she was an undergraduate. Did you ever consider joining the military? I thought about it and even went to the Coast Guard Academy’s AIM [Academy Introductory Mission] summer program in high school. But I developed knee problems when I was 18, which prevented me from pursuing a military career. What school did you attend as an undergraduate? I received a full academic scholarship to La Salle University in Philadelphia. What kind of assistance did you receive from MOAA’s Scholarship Fund? I received a $500 designated scholarship grant and a total of $10,000 in interest-free loans as an undergraduate. How did that financial assistance help you? It just allowed me to be a college student. I never worried about how I was going to pay for my undergraduate education, which allowed me to focus on my grades and graduate summa cum laude with a 3.9 GPA. What did you do after you completed your undergraduate degree? I worked as a research assistant in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and attended Towson University full-time at night and completed my master’s degree in clinical psychology, graduating with a 4.0 GPA. Because I worked for the university, they paid for two-thirds of my tuition, and I took a part-time job to pay for the rest. What are you doing now? I’m working toward my doctorate in clinical psychology at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where I work as a research assistant. I also see therapy clients at a community mental health center. What are your future plans? I’d like to be a professor at a major university and have a small private practice. In a perfect world, [my husband and I] could see ourselves returning to Washington, D.C., to raise a family. This is a great city. —Kris Ann Hegle Attention! Check out these military-related entertainment offerings. DVD Body of War (Docurama Films, 2008) Meet Tomas Young, 25 years old and paralyzed from a bullet to his spine — wounded after serving in Iraq for less than a week. This is his cominghome story and a personal 28 MILITARY OFFICER portrayal of the face of 21st-century war. BOOK The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Civil War (Regnery Publishing Inc., 2008) This controversial book by H.W. Crocker III aims to expose the “widespread campaign to rewrite Southern history.” Sure to stir up strong opinions, this book is an interesting look at another view of the Civil War. AUDIO BOOK Dreamland Revolution (Bril- liance, 2008) In this narrated tale, the Dreamland team must stop a dangerous revolution by insurgents in Eastern Europe and avoid a second Cold War. Filled with action, it includes detailed descriptions of weaponry. MO PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT DECEMBER 2008
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