By Corvias Communications Office
Corvias Foundation Awards Scholarship to Fort Meade Military Spouse
Scholarship programs helps combat military spouse unemployment rate, which is six times higher than the national average.
The Corvias Foundation, a private foundation founded by Corvias CEO John Picerne to support education opportunities for military families, today announced it has awarded its annual military spouse scholarship to Cari Saumenig, the wife of an active-duty service member stationed at Fort George G. Meade., Md. Saumenig is one of the 20 recipients of Corvias Foundation’s military spouse scholarships. Each recipient will receive a one-time award of $5,000 to help them receive their higher education degree.
“The life of a military spouse is one that revolves around deployments and frequent moves,” said Maria Montalvo, executive director of Corvias Foundation. “This unique mobile lifestyle presents economic challenges for military spouses due to high unemployment rates and significant wage gaps. Corvias Foundation created this scholarship program to combat these hurdles and help these inspiring spouses receive their degrees to help provide for their families.”
This year marks the 14th consecutive year of this scholarship program and of Corvias Foundation’s commitment to supporting and empowering military spouses throughout their academic journeys. The allotted funds can be used by the spouses for any expenses associated with receiving their degree, such as transportation to class, childcare, and school fees. This year’s recipients are pursuing a wide variety of professions, including nursing, criminal justice, physical therapy, teaching and more.
Cari Saumenig is passionate about becoming a social worker and hopes to get into the field after completing her master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Denver. She has a passion for volunteering in her community and currently helps the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland as the service unit manager and cookie manager.
“I am inspired to pursue higher education to increase my opportunities for work as a military spouse,” said Saumenig. “Earning my master’s degree in Social Work will further put me towards my goal of owning my own counseling agency focused on domestic violence. I just want to instill in my son that education is always important no matter your age.”
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.