Students receive Tillman Military Scholar award

Three IU students were named 2014 Tillman Military Scholars, and they became the first students from IU to receive the coveted scholarship since the program’s inception.

The Tillman Military Scholars program was established in 2008 to support America’s active-duty service members, veterans and military spouses by investing in their higher education.

The 2014 class of Tillman Military Scholars is composed of 59 scholars selected out of an extensive pool of more than 7,500 applicants. The newly selected class will receive more than $1.4 million in scholarships to pursue their higher education.

The Tillman Military Scholarship isn’t merely a gift, but it is an investment in excellence and potential, Marie Tillman, president and co-founder of the Pat Tillman Foundation said in a press release.

The Tillman Military Scholars who were selected embody the same ideals Tillman lived by every day, Marie said.

James Bishop, Jamal Sowell and Carlos Gonzales earned the honors.

In January, IU became one of the 15 partner institutions with the Tillman Foundation. This partnership benefits the IU Tillman Military Scholar applicants.

“As a University partner, our applicants compete against those from the other partner institutions rather than the entire national pool of applicants,” said Margaret Baechtold, director of IU’s Veteran Support Services.

“These three had superb examples of leadership and sacrifice during their military service and a clear view of how they wanted to continue to serve in their civilian life.”

Bishop joined the Air Force after earning his bachelor’s degree in 2000 from Louisiana State University. He then earned his master’s degree in literature from IU and went on to teach at the Air Force Academy in Colorado for two years.

“Teaching at the U.S. Air Force Academy was absolutely the most rewarding job I had in the service,” Bishop said.

 “I will continue to serve in the Air Force Reserve, finish my dissertation and, hopefully, return to the Air Force Academy as a civilian professor.”

Bishop expects to earn his Ph.D. from IU in spring 2015.

Sowell enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 2006 during his first year of graduate school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After completing his master’s degree, Sowell became a Marine Officer and decided to go into active duty.

“I did not want to miss the opportunity to serve my country,” Sowell said.
Sowell will begin his studies at the Maurer School of Law in the fall, and he aims to focus on business and national security law and policy. Additionally, he hopes to continue mentoring undeserved youth.

“I want to bring that same passion I had for the military to my community,” Sowell said.

Gonzales was deployed in 2004 to southern Iraq while serving in the U.S. Army Reserves. Gonzales served as a police officer in Oakland, Calif., for 11 years before enrolling at McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis.

The IU Veteran Support Services is thrilled to have three Tillman Military Scholars, Baechtold said.

“The program is highly competitive and prestigious,” she said.

Despite being a part of a distinguished group of Military scholars, Sowell says he can never forget the inspiration of the foundation, Pat Tillman.

“I remember being in college when Pat Tillman passed,” Sowell said. “I am honored that his life of service directly affected mine. I will always be thankful for that.

“He’s a role model. He made an unparalleled sacrifice to leave a glamorous and lucrative career to risk his life and fight in a war. That’s heroic.”

Tillman excelled as a student–athlete at Arizona State University.

He earned three consecutive selections to the Pac-10 All-Academic football team, a first team Academic All-American honor, and in 1997 he was voted the Pac-10’s Defensive Player of the Year as he led ASU to an undefeated season.

The Arizona Cardinals drafted Tillman in the seventh round of the 1998 NFL Draft. Tillman became the team’s starting safety and set the franchise record for tackles in the 1999-2000 season.

Tillman finished the 2001 NFL season and married his high school girlfriend, Marie, in the spring of 2002. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks ignited Tillman’s patriotism.

After returning from his honeymoon, Tillman announced he would postpone his NFL career and enlist in the U.S. Army with his brother, Kevin Tillman.

The Tillman brothers served tours in 2003 in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and in 2004 in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.

On the evening of April 22, 2004, Tillman’s unit was ambushed, and he died because of friendly fire, according to the Pat Tillman Foundation’s website.

After Pat’s death, his family and friends created the Pat Tillman Foundation in his honor.

“Through our mission, we are proud to support and empower these outstanding leaders as they pursue their educational goals and strive to impact significant, positive change for our country and communities after their military service,” Marie said.