Corvias Foundation recently announced the recipients of its annual scholarship that assists military spouses in furthering their academic careers.
The foundation awarded $100,000 in scholarships to 20 scholars, including Army spouses Maribel Paulino Marinez and Isabelle Stevens. Marinez, a paramedicine student, and Stevens, a law school student, have balanced their career goals with the challenges of frequent relocations and separations often associated with military life. The award will aid them in completing those education pursuits.
Born in Santo Domingo, Marinez left the Dominican Republic in 1999 and moved to Puerto Rico. Once there she pursued her dream of becoming a paramedic. Shortly after enrolling at the University of the Sagrádo Corazón, her husband received orders to Fort Drum, New York. At this duty station and at the next in Japan, she was able to study pharmacy tech. When her husband transferred to Joint Base Lewis-McCord in Washington State, she returned to her dream of becoming an emergency medical technician.
Since that time, she’s studied diligently and was one of only 12 people to complete the program from a class of more than 30 participants. Additionally, she graduated with honors.
Marinez says she hopes to one day create a non-profit organization for doctors and paramedics to help immigrants, mothers and children living in rural areas who do not speak English, and offer them health services. She would like to return to the Dominican Republic to provide health services for those in need.
Stevens was born and raised in Reno, Nevada, where she and her husband were high school sweethearts. Like most military couples, she and her husband have been separated from each other on numerous occasions.
In 2017, Stevens received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada in Reno. A year later she moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where she trained to become a judge advocate.
Stevens continues to serve the community by acting as president of the Veterans Advocacy Legal Organization and works at the military and veterans law clinic. After she completes her final year of law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she plans to join the Army and serve as a judge advocate.
This scholarship will help Stevens pay for an au pair to care for her children while she pursues her educational goals as well as help to fund her transition to remote learning.
As for future Corvias Foundation scholarship applicants, both Marinez and Stevens recommend being resilient. All applicants should take their time to do their best and be honest about their true passions when applying for the scholarship and pursuing their dreams.
“Talk about your heart,” Stevens said. “Validate your emotions, take care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally, and just be vulnerable.”
Marinez says fear paralyzes you.
“You always have to try even if they say no,” she said. “All military spouses are a hidden treasure … We are all capable of doing everything.”
The Corvias Foundation will be accepting applications for its next scholarship period starting November 2 until May 7, 2021. Scholarship winners will be announced next August.
Winners are awarded a one-time scholarship of up to $5,000. Applicants must be a military spouse currently stationed at one of the Corvias Property Management managed duty stations and plan to attend an accredited community, technical, or four-year college, university, or online program (for profit and proprietary schools upon review) as an undergraduate or graduate student for the entire 2020-21 academic year.
Since 2006, Corvias Foundation has awarded nearly $14 million to military children, spouses, and children of Corvias employees across 13 Army and Air Force installations.
Visit Corvias Foundation to learn more about its scholarships.
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