Corvias Foundation, a private foundation founded by Corvias CEO John Picerne to support education opportunities for military families, today announced it awarded a college scholarship worth up to $50,000 to high school senior, Brianna Soto, the daughter of an active duty service member stationed at Fort Polk. Brianna joins six other military-connected students who make up the 16th class of Corvias Foundation scholarship recipients. Each recipient will be attending a four-year college or university of their choice.

“Our top priority at Corvias Foundation is to provide military dependents with the resources to help them achieve their academic aspirations and flourish in their future professional endeavors,” said Maria Montalvo, executive director of Corvias Foundation. “This past year has been especially tumultuous, as state and institution budgets, as well as family finances have been severely affected by the pandemic, and students are now, more than ever, in need of support. We are grateful we can continue to provide our scholars with this aid.”   

The scholarships provide the recipients with dependable and recurring financial assistance for each of their four academic years. Students receive a portion of their total scholarship amount per year to pursue their higher education degrees at institutions across the country.

“The Corvias Foundation scholarship has allowed me to focus more on my academics and future than my ability to pay for college,” said Brianna. “I plan to use the scholarship to pay for college expenses and hopefully a few certificate programs offered by my school as well. Although the scholarship itself is great, I am excited to make connections with the other Corvias Foundation scholars and alumni.”

Corvias Foundation scholars also receive beyond-the-dollar support including, conference and internship opportunities, mentoring, and a dedicated network of other scholars and alumni. All of these offerings revolve around the same goal: to inspire college-bound students from military families to reach higher.

“Corvias Foundation scholars are inspirational in how they overcome the challenges a military lifestyle presents, while still working hard to achieve their goals and academic dreams,” said Picerne. “It is always a joy to welcome a new group of scholars into the Corvias Foundation family, and I look forward to seeing what they do throughout their higher education journeys.” 

Since 2006, Corvias Foundation has awarded nearly $15 million to military children, spouses, and children of Corvias employees across 13 Army and Air Force installations. The group of students selected for this year’s scholarship will be studying a wide variety of topics such as biology, computer science, and accounting, to name a few, at a number of different institutions located across the country.

Fort Polk Scholarship Recipient

Brianna Soto of Cross Creek Early College High School is actively involved in her community. She volunteers as a math and science tutor and is a member of several clubs including Science Olympiad, student government, Interact Club and Beta Club. She plans to attend North Carolina State University to study computer science, as her goal is to become a data scientist.

About Corvias Foundation

Corvias Foundation is committed to inspiring students, college and university campuses, and military families to reach higher. Founded in 2006 as “Our Family for Families First Foundation,” our work increases access to educational, internship, mentoring, and volunteer opportunities so that those we touch are empowered to pursue their dreams and to make a greater impact in service to their communities and their nation. We strive to create ever-increasing opportunities by providing the resources and networks needed to help our scholars and partners surpass their goals. We achieve this through a commitment to education, community engagement and high-impact charitable giving. To learn more, please visit: corviasfoundation.org.  

This article originally appeared on Leesville Daily Leader: Corvias Foundation awards scholarship to Fort Polk military-connected student