Iraq War veteran Truong Mai had just started his career while pursuing a Master of Business Administration when he came into financial hardship. And VFW’s Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship provided the assistance he needed.
Truong Mai served in Iraq from November 2007 to January 2009 with the 3rd Armored Cav. Regt., and in Afghanistan from March 2011 to March 2012 with 3rd Inf. Div., 497th Movement Control Team. He received a Help A Hero Scholarship to assist with his studies at Florida State University. Photo courtesy of Truong Mai.“This scholarship really helped me out in regard to paying for tuition, books and stipends stuff like that,” said Mai, who wrote a letter of thanks to Sport Clips CEO Gordon Logan.
Mai served in Iraq from November 2007 to January 2009 with the 3rd Armored Cav. Regt., and in Afghanistan from March 2011 to March 2012 with the 3rd Inf. Div., 497th Movement Control Team. He received $5,000 for the fall 2018 semester. He is studying at Florida State University, and said, the way his admissions process was handled showed that the university cares about its veterans.
“Florida State is one of the most military friendly universities in the United States,” Mai said. “I like their value. The president of Florida State also served in the military.”
Mai said the military is a “good ground” to begin a management career, but the MBA, for him, will bring out “leadership values” as he pursues a career in the management consultant field and, later, with the Department of Veteran Affairs.
The significance of the Help A Hero scholarship, according to Mai, is that it can assist those who used their GI Bill for an undergraduate degree, but want to further their education. It helped “pave the way” for Mai to continue his education without the financial burden.
“In order for me to be more significant to employers, I need to continue my education and there’s no funding,” Mai said. “The GI Bill only covers for 36 months.”
Mai, who intends to join a VFW Post in Orlando, discovered VFW’s Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship through online searches for military scholarships and plans to make others aware of its existence.
“The scholarship really helped me out a lot, so I plan to contribute back to the scholarship, tell more people about it, let them know that this scholarship helped me and ask for their donation,” Mai said.
This article was featured in the January/February 2019 issue of VFW Checkpoint. If you're a Post, District or Department Commander and aren't receiving the Checkpoint e-newsletter, please contact the VFW magazine at magazine@vfw.org.