VFW Auxiliary Announces 2017 Continuing Education Scholarship Winners

May 04, 2017

Kansas City, Mo. — The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) Auxiliary is pleased to announce the winners of its annual Continuing Education Scholarship contest. Four $1,000 scholarships were awarded, one in each of the four Auxiliary Conferences.

Candy Applegate was named the winner of the Big 10 Conference. Applegate, a member of Auxiliary 5178 in Gravois Mills, Mo., is enrolled to study accounting and business management at Ozark Technical Community College. Applegate said the scholarship will help her be able to afford the cost of continuing her education while she works part-time at a local retirement community and cares for her children.

“My goal is to change positions/working hours and be more available to my family. I am committed to becoming educated in accounting and business management to show that l am the right candidate for the job, and move up in the company. (With) this scholarship, I would be able to cover all of my school expenses and not take away from my children,” said Applegate.

Emily Kirk was named the winner of the Eastern Conference. Kirk, a member of Auxiliary 779 in Patton, Penn., has been accepted to Saint Francis University and plans to study early childhood education with a minor in English as a Second Language (ESL). Kirk is the first in her immediate family to attend college and said the scholarship will help her achieve her dream of becoming a teacher.

“Ever since I was little, I have had a passion for children and teaching. I went through some hard times to get where I am now, but they shaped who I am as a person. Just like the Auxiliary teaches us to go above and beyond for our veterans, this scholarship will help me soar above and beyond my expectations and reach my highest potentials,” said Kirk.

Taylor Shoemaker was named the winner of the Southern Conference. Shoemaker, a member of Auxiliary 7890, Cadiz, Ky., is enrolled to receive her master’s degree in clinical psychology at Murray State University. Shoemaker plans to work with veterans struggling with addiction, depression and post-traumatic stress and said the scholarship will help ease her financial burden as she continues her education.

“I have known what I wanted to spend my life doing since I was 11. I lived in a neighborhood populated by soldiers. I became particularly close to my upstairs neighbor; he was deployed for almost a year and when he came back, he was not the same. I want to spend my life helping those that offer their lives in defending us. Receiving this scholarship would help me to financially reach my goals, which would allow me to focus on learning the material better and being the best clinical psychologist I can be to my clients,” said Shoemaker.

Sarah Fredlund was named the winner of the Western Conference. Fredlund, a Life Member of Auxiliary 2422 in Coronado, Calif., is enrolled in an accelerated program to receive her master’s degree in education from National University. Fredlund works part-time and volunteers at Post 2422 and a local elementary school, leaving little time to take a second job. She said the scholarship will help ease the burden of her monthly tuition payments while she works to achieve her goal of becoming a teacher.

“Growing up, I always wanted to become a teacher. I currently decided on continuing my goals by applying for my master’s in education with a K-12 multiple subject credential. Between school, work, volunteering at VFW Post 2422 and volunteering at Coronado Elementary School, it leaves very little room to take a second job. I look forward to my future and (everything) that goes along with learning to achieve my goals,” said Fredlund.

Established in 2005, the Continuing Education Scholarship assists Auxiliary members and their immediate family members (spouse, son or daughter) who wish to further their education by pursuing a college degree or career direction at a vocational/technical school. For more information about VFW Auxiliary scholarships, visit www.vfwauxiliary.org/scholarships.

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The VFW Auxiliary is one of the nation’s oldest veterans’ service organizations and our members are the relatives of those who have served in overseas combat. We have nearly 482,000 members representing all 50 states who volunteer millions of hours and give millions of dollars to support veterans, military service personnel, and their families.

We are a voice for veterans on Capitol Hill and are instrumental in assisting the VFW pass or block legislation that impacts veterans and their families. We are one of the top ten providers of volunteer hours in the VA medical system. Every year, members raise millions of dollars for charitable projects that benefit veterans and their families. We also provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships for our nation’s youth. With more than 4,000 Auxiliaries, there is likely one in your area working to improve the lives of America’s uncommon heroes. Learn more at www.vfwauxiliary.org.

For more information, contact: 
Cara Day, Director of Programs & Communications
Email: cday@vfwauxiliary.org
Office: 816-800-8745

Megan Zinn-Sanchez, Public Relations & Marketing Coordinator
Email: mzinn-sanchez@vfwauxiliary.org 
Office: 816-800-8756