Nov 18, 2021
VFW’s "Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship" has provided Navy veteran LaShonda Hill the opportunity to continue her post-graduate education after her military service.
Sponsored by the hair care franchise Sport Clips, the Help A Hero Scholarship is now in its seventh year. Recipients receive up $5,000 through the scholarship program.
Hill, a Georgia native, was in the Navy for almost 12 years and served aboard the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), the USS Pinckney (DDG-91) and the USS Higgins (DDG-76). She now is a Ph.D. candidate at Northcentral University in La Jolla, California.
Hill, who now resides in the San Diego area, is studying marriage and family therapy, with an emphasis on military families. She said that she believes her almost 12 years of military service and experience being on deployments gives her the insight needed to help military members and their families.
“Being in the military is a culture of its own,” Hill said. “There aren’t a whole lot of practitioners who can relate to us. I saw it while I was in the military, and it will give me the opportunity to mentor people who were like me when I was in their shoes.”
Hill, a former gunner’s mate 2nd class, said that the Help a Hero Scholarship was “very easy” to apply for compared to other scholarships. She added that she is thankful for receiving VFW’s assistance during her time in school.
“I have to pay for before- and after-school care, so any money I can save to pay for that has helped me a lot,” Hill said. “With the help of the scholarship, I am able to pay for tuition.”
This article is featured in the 2021 November/December issue of VFW Checkpoint.