SDMAC Foundation

The SDMAC Military Veteran Student of the Year academic scholarship was founded in 2014 in celebration of the 10th anniversary of SDMAC. The scholarship was created in response to the fact that many of today’s high-demand Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) college degrees take five years to complete. This means that the GI Bill of our enlisted veterans often expires before STEM degrees are completed.

The SDMAC Foundation Military Veteran Student of the Year academic scholarship bridges this gap by funding the additional time required for our military veterans recipients to earn STEM degrees without incurring significant debt.

The first scholarship was awarded to a military veteran attending San Diego State University (SDSU) in 2016, followed by three scholarships awarded to military Veteran students enrolled at SDSU in 2017. From 2018 through 2021, twenty scholarships were awarded to military veteran students enrolled in STEM programs at California State University San Marcos and SDSU.

While the GI Bill covers tuition, fees, and books for vocational education, it does not cover the cost of final skill testing needed to receive the certificate. Beginning this year, we are planning to fund the costs of certification testing for students in the Automotive Service Excellence Diesel Technology and Federal Aviation Administration Airframes and Powerplants programs at Mira Mesa Community College. Our annual fundraising goal is $65,000 for both initiatives!

CANDIDATES MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA TO BE CONSIDERED:

• Recent military veterans of the U.S. Armed forces
• Honorably separated
• Rank of E-1 through E-9
• Enrolled as a full-time student
• Cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above
• Seeking a degree in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) field (preferred)