SoldierStrong Announces Annual SoldierScholar Recipients for 2024

Delivering on its commitment to assist military veterans in taking a significant academic step forward in life after service, the national nonprofit SoldierStrong today announced the recipients of its annual scholarship initiative, SoldierScholar.

“SoldierStrong is an organization that has long prided itself on adapting to meet the ever-evolving needs of U.S. military veterans over the past fifteen years,” said SoldierStrong co-founder and chairman Dr. Chris Meek. “In 2012, as troops returned from service abroad, we realized the opportunity that access to higher education gave veterans in order to best transition to and thrive in civilian life and provide for themselves and their families. SoldierStrong is proud to award SoldierScholar recipients in an effort to prepare tomorrow’s American leaders today.”

Since 2012, SoldierStrong has awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships. Though the post-9/11 GI Bill has helped thousands of veterans with their post-secondary education, there are still funding gaps that can become insurmountable obstacles toward the completion of a degree. The cost of textbooks, classroom fees, transportation, technology, tutoring and a number of other essentials are among expenses that the GI Bill has historically not covered. These additional costs make obtaining a degree all the more difficult for many veterans who have responsibilities not typical of the average college student, such as working jobs and taking care of families. SoldierScholar was created to alleviate those additional financial burdens.

SoldierScholar scholarships are available to veterans at Syracuse University, Georgetown University and Old Dominion University who fought in the recent War on Terror, which includes Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

Past SoldierScholar scholarship recipients have gone on to work at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in civilian positions at the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Division of the U.S. Air Force, for various members of Congress and as policy advisors at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, among other esteemed professions. Recipients include:

 

2024 SoldierScholar Recipient Connor McNeil
2024 SoldierScholar Recipient Connor McNeil

Connor McNeil, Syracuse University – Master’s Degree in International Relations
Connor McNeil is a graduate student at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, where he is pursuing a master’s degree in international relations with a specialization in data analysis. Before entering Syracuse he received the national Army ROTC scholarship and enrolled at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. In 2021, he received a B.A. in history and government and was commissioned from the Clarkson ROTC program into the Vermont Army National Guard. He also graduated from the Middlebury College Language Institute’s Portuguese Immersion Program. He has served as a scout platoon leader in Bravo Troop, 1-172 Cavalry and is currently Troop Executive Officer, in addition to attending the air assault school, the armor basic officer leadership course, basic military mountaineering course, and the rough terrain evacuation course. As an officer in a mountain warfare unit, Connor enjoys entangling his passion for hiking and skiing with military mountain operations. Through the graduate program at Maxwell, and with the assistance of programs like SoldierStrong, Connor hopes to continue a public service-oriented career in emergency management and response.

 

 

 

2024 SoldierScholar Recipient Kathleen Higgns
2024 SoldierScholar Recipient Kathleen Higgns

Kathleen Higgins, Old Dominion University – Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Kathleen Higgins joined the military right after high school. As a first-generation student, she was encouraged to take the military pathway by her mother and father – both Army veterans. In the Navy, Higgins worked as an aviation structural safety equipment mechanic on different F-18 models. Higgins left the Navy in 2020 after eight years of service. She took a position at Boeing before returning to school. It was an easy transition to the program at Old Dominion where Higgins is currently a mechanical engineering major with a focus on aerospace engineering. After she finishes her degree, Higgins hopes to obtain a position as an aerospace engineer.

 

 

 

 

 

2024 SoldierScholar Recipient Michelle Humphreys
2024 SoldierScholar Recipient Michelle Humphreys

Michelle Humphreys, Old Dominion University – Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering
Michelle Humphreys, a civil engineering major, grew up in a close-knit family in Passaic, New Jersey. Humphreys, the first in her family to pursue a STEM degree, joined the Navy right out of high school. She had already been thinking of joining the military when she met with a recruiter. Humphreys served as a nuclear electrician’s mate aboard the USS George Washington. She transitioned into civilian life in 2020 after six years of service. After graduation, Humphreys hopes to find a meaningful engineering position.

 

 

 

 

On being selected as a SoldierScholar recipient, Connor McNeil said, “It is an incredible honor and represents the overwhelming support I have had from amazing individuals and organizations throughout my military and academic career. To me, support like this will compound the achievement of a master’s degree and remind me of how special my experience at Syracuse was, thanks to the support of programs like SoldierScholar.”

Honoring Veterans: A Day to Remember, Reflect, and Recommit

On Veterans Day, Americans across the country honor those who have stepped up to answer the call of service.

As Allen West said, “We must never forget why we have and why we need our military. Our Armed Forces exist solely to ensure our nation is safe, so that each and every one of us can sleep soundly at night, knowing we have ‘Guardians at the Gate.’”

As guardians, U.S. service members make tremendous sacrifices to ensure the security of our nation. We owe them a debt of gratitude that can never fully be repaid.

It is embedded in SoldierStrong’s mission as an organization to live by our gratitude and express it in our work to help veterans take their next steps forward in life after service through the donation of revolutionary medical technologies. It is our hope that these donations exemplify our gratitude for the service men and women, both past and present, who ensure the great promise of our nation continues to be fully realized.

Without their willingness to guard the safety and ideals of the United States of America, we would not enjoy the peace and protection that we all too often take for granted.

Today, SoldierStrong encourages each and every American to recommit themselves to remembering that without the sacrifice of our military, our freedom would simply be fleeting.

Join us in thanking our nation’s heroes for their service so that we may all maintain our sacred rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

SOLDIERSTRONG AND UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S INSTITUTE FOR CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIES SIGN LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR BATTLE BUDDY

SoldierStrong, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping veterans take their next steps forward in life after service through the donation of revolutionary medical technology, in partnership with the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies (USC-ICT), announced a license agreement for Battle Buddy. 

Battle Buddy is a virtual human-led mental health and wellness application that promotes resiliency among veterans at risk for suicide. The application’s interactive, conversational AI utilizes content from VA’s Suicide Safety Planning program during brief daily check-ins with veterans. The mobile application also connects with wearable sensors to leverage sleep, exercise and other health signals. 

“Battle Buddy provides veterans with structured steps to navigate crises and fosters a sense of preparedness. Beyond offering immediate, scalable assistance, it serves as a compassionate bridge to live, human connection, linking veterans to the essential support they deserve,” said Sharon Mozgai, Director of Virtual Human Therapeutics Lab at ICT and Project Leader on Battle Buddy.

In response to the 17 veteran suicides recorded in the U.S. each day, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs launched Mission Daybreak in 2022, a $20 million grand challenge to reduce veteran suicide. SoldierStrong and USC-ICT were recognized for their efforts to advance the use of technology to prevent suicide through Battle Buddy. As a second place winner, Battle Buddy received $1 million. 

The new license agreement, facilitated by the USC Stevens Center for Innovation, enables SoldierStrong to create custom Battle Buddy modules for iOS, with optional use of wearable technologies (e.g. Apple Watch, Garmin) and interactive intelligent agents. The Battle Buddy technology leverages the Rapid Integrations & Development Environment (RIDE) real-time prototyping platform, developed at USC-ICT and included in the license to SoldierStrong. 

Mozgai continued, “This agreement allows us to evolve the prototype and expand our reach, connecting with veterans not currently engaged with the VA—whether they’re transitioning from active duty, younger veterans, or those in rural and frontier areas facing barriers to care.”

SoldierStrong is a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization with a mission to assist America’s military veterans in taking their next steps forward in life after service through the donation of revolutionary medical technologies to Veterans Affairs medical facilities and individual veterans across the country. These technologies include wearable robotic exoskeletons, known as “SoldierSuits,” to aid paralyzed and injured veterans in standing and walking again and the BraveMind virtual reality system, developed by the team at USC-ICT, to treat post-9/11 veterans living with the devastating impacts of post-traumatic stress (PTS). Since 2013, SoldierStrong has proudly donated more than $5.5 million in technology to help injured veterans. 

“Addressing the crisis of veterans taking their own lives requires more than recognizing, acknowledging, and even investing in prevention efforts,” said Dr. Chris Meek, SoldierStrong Co-Founder and Chairman. “Solutions will come through innovative approaches that are only possible through relationships, like the one SoldierStrong shares with USC-ICT, that share valuable information and capitalize on each partner’s strengths. Effectively leveraging real-time data via easy-to-implement technology will significantly enhance individual wellbeing and aid efforts to reduce the overall number of suicides.” 

Driven by the collaboration between USC-ICT and SoldierStrong, the next stage in Battle Buddy’s research and development, will focus on advancing efficacy, ensuring rigorous safety standards, and maintaining a veteran-centric design approach. 

Together, the partnership will enhance Battle Buddy’s capabilities by integrating advanced safety protocols, expanding user feedback systems, and conducting comprehensive efficacy evaluations. These efforts will ensure that the application not only provides real-time Virtual-Human support but also connects veterans to meaningful, personalized care while addressing their unique needs.

“Working with such an exceptional partner as the University of Southern California Institute of Creative Technologies to create a life-changing – and lifesaving – breakthrough of this scope is one of the very reasons SoldierStrong was founded,” said Meek.

Today We Remember 9/11

 

SoldierStrong Remembers 9/11

 

By Chris Meek

The United States of America experienced the worst terrorist attack on American soil 23 years ago today, when attacks on the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Crash of Flight 93 claimed the lives of 2,977 individuals, as well as injured and forever altered countless more.

As a 9/11 survivor, I was at Ground Zero during the attacks and my experiences that day inspired a desire in me to give back to the men and women who serve. SoldierStrong’s mission is to help our nation’s heroes take their next steps forward in life, just like me and many other Americans took our next steps forward to safety through ash and debris on one of the most horrific days in our country’s history.

On Patriot Day, an annual observance to remember and honor those who were injured or killed on 9/11, we pay reverence to all of America’s patriots, both those in uniform and civilians alike.

Now, more than ever before, I believe that our country needs the story and lessons borne out of 9/11 told, so that we do not let the day fade from our collective memory. Today, millions of Americans will offer the same sentiment: “Never Forget.” Remembering is a task set before our nation that requires each and every one of us to ensure that “Never Forget” are not just words spoken but actions taken.

Never forgetting means demonstrating the same selflessness and compassion for others that many firefighters, police officers, first responders, doctors, nurses and civilians demonstrated on 9/11 and in the days and weeks after to save their fellow Americans.

Never forgetting means honoring and remembering the sacrifices that so many men and women made as they were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to protect our freedom and democracy. Now, as they have returned home, we all share in the obligation to ensure that they have access to world class healthcare and revolutionary medical technology to treat both the visible and invisible wounds as a result of their service.

Never forgetting means remembering that United We Stand. We are stronger when we work together to better the collective lives of Americans than we are when we work individually for various different ends. And as we work together, we must never forget the history that brought us to today.

Today and every day at SoldierStrong, we acknowledge that the effects of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent wars fought in response to that day, still reverberate throughout the lives of many. It is our mission to provide physical and mental health care to those veterans whose lives have been forever impacted as a subsequent result of that day. It is our honor and we will never forget.

SoldierStrong Marks 15ᵗʰ Anniversary With Focus on New Approaches to Help Veterans Take Their Next Steps Forward

“SoldierStrong has donated more than $5.5 million in revolutionary medical technology to medical facilities and individuals to date, but we’re far from done,” co-founder and chairman Chris Meek said. “Just as medical technology advances in recent years have produced life-changing results, we know that future breakthroughs are going to do the same in ways we might not even be able to imagine. The entire SoldierStrong organization and our supporters look forward to those breakthroughs. We’re committed to connecting veterans with them so that those men and women who have made such tremendous sacrifices to defend our freedom and liberties can live their fullest lives in the years ahead.”

Meek noted that the organization’s evolution into a national nonprofit coincides with the evolution of revolutionary medical technology that has helped veterans take their next steps forward in life. Years ago, SoldierStrong began to donate robotic exoskeletons to Veterans Administration medical centers and other healthcare facilities to aid in the physical rehabilitation of veterans experiencing mobility challenges due to paralysis, stroke, traumatic brain injury or other causes.

SoldierStrong has donated 30 exoskeletons, dubbed the SoldierSuit, to facilities and individuals across the country to help injured and paralyzed veterans stand and walk again. The burgeoning use of virtual reality to treat veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress led the organization to team with some of the nation’s leading experts in the field. As a result, SoldierStrong has also donated 30 BraveMind systems to VA facilities and trained clinical staff to optimize their results.

To help veterans take their next step forward by seeking more education, SoldierStrong’s SoldierScholar program has awarded more than $500,000 to 33 recipients, including nine females and one repeat recipient. SoldierScholar has funded fully endowed scholarships at Syracuse University, Georgetown University and Old Dominion University. The Old Dominion University scholarship is designated for women veterans studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics.

“SoldierStrong has enjoyed the support of many donors without whom we would not be able to change the lives of the veterans we serve. In particular, our partnerships with the Graham and Courtney Rahal Foundation, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and United Rentals stand out because of their generosity for the cause and compassion for those we serve,” Meek said. “United Rentals, which donates $50 to its Turns for Troops program for every lap that Graham Rahal completes in specific races through the IndyCar season, has raised more than $1.8 million in the past seven years to support the recovery of America’s injured veterans.”