NDM Article - Women In Defense

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Washington Pulse

June 2005

Women In Defense Announce ‘04-’05 Scholarship Recipients

By Heather Owens

Women In Defense recently announced its newest HORIZONS scholarship winners. Each of the nine recipients received a $500 scholarship. Several of the recipients currently serve the U.S. military in the active duty, National Guard, reserves or Reserve Officer Training Corps. All plan to use their education to pursue careers in national defense.

“Now, more than ever, it is important to focus on creating the next generation of defense leaders,” said WID President Carolyn Becraft, former assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs. “That is why WID offers this scholarship program.” Recipients include the following:

Elishad M. Nolasco Pacheco is majoring in pre-translation with a minor in foreign languages at the Universidad de Puerto Rico Recinto Rio Piedras. A member of the Puerto Rico National Guard, she plans to seek a commission through Army ROTC.

Lt. Christina Dawn Hruska, a U.S. Air Force pilot, plans to use her scholarship to pursue a graduate degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Tashira RaChael Gibbs—a software engineer for SAIC and a member of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of Women In Defense—plans to use her scholarship to pursue a graduate degree in human computer interaction from the University of Michigan.

Clare Ann Atzert, a mechanical engineering major at the University of Illinois. She is a midshipman with the school’s Navy ROTC battalion.

Alyson Marie Pintor is majoring in intelligence studies and political science at Pennsylvania’s Mercyhurst College. She already has completed several intelligence-related internships, including one with the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and one with the Office of Naval Intelligence.

Valerie Y. Mackritis plans to use her scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. She is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard.

Jennifer Maire Mayer studies political science and psychology at Saint Mary’s College, in Notre Dame, Ind. She is a member of the Air Force ROTC. Mayer plans to pursue a security-related career in the Air Force.

Furyisa I. Gianni, serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, is working toward a degree in public administration from California State Hayword University.

Michelle Lynn Jordan, who works at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in Charleston, S.C., is seeking a master’s of business administration from the University of South Carolina. For more information on HORIZONS scholarships, visit the WID web site at http://wid.ndia.org/horizon/.